Town Centre delays after shop frontage hit and run

Police officers in Ilkeston are working to trace the driver of a car which badly damaged a shop frontage in the town centre.

A corner of the Thorpe's store on South Street, which sits opposite the entrance to a nearby public car park, suffered structural damage. The vehicle - a black VW - was also damaged after the incident to which Police were called at around 9am on Monday 17th February.

Pictures show that the vehicle sustained a crumpled front end, the impact so severe that internal airbags were deployed.  A cordon was put into place whilst the incident was dealt with, but there were significant delays to traffic, particularly to bus services to and from The Market Place area, and to pedestrians as the vehicle was blocking a pavement.  Wooden chocks were used at the rear of the crashed vehicle to help keep it in place.

A statement from Derbyshire Police said that the driver of the vehicle left the scene before they arrived.

Owner David Thorpe told Erewash Sound reporter Ayesha Janagal that the business, which has been trading at the site since 1985 and employs a total of four members of staff alongside him, has only been able to trade from half the store due to the other half now being made structurally unstable, adding that it was a man behind the wheel, and alleging that he was under the influence, although this was not substantiated and is yet to be confirmed by Derbyshire Police.

Mr. Thorpe spoke about the extent of the damage to a particular part of the store most directly affected which fronts directly on to South Street: "The building looks as if it will have to come down.  The whole building, I'm told, is worse than it looks.  They hit the far corner - you can see cracks at this end."

Social media reports include one which alleges that the driver had been speeding before the vehicle hit another which had been emerging from the nearby South Street car park then coming to rest in the shop front.  There are no official details as to other parties involved in the incident nor whether there have been any injuries.

Anyone with any information is being asked to contact Police on the non-emergency number 101, by using Police social media or their website or by contacting Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555 111 or at crimestoppers-uk.org.