A new mayor found himself opening a town’s Tesco – when he DROVE his car through the front doors.
Councillor Terry Buckle, 73, was trying to park in a disabled bay for his weekly shop when he lost control of his Vauxhall Vectra.
The automatic lurched forward and went straight through the automatic double doors of his local Tesco Express.
Cllr Buckle squeezed his motor through the opening with inches to spare and came to a halt in the fruit and veg aisle after knocking down a display.
No-one was hurt inside the shop but he suffered whiplash and bruising and was taken to hospital in a neckbrace.
Cllr Buckle had been appointed mayor of St Edmundsbury in Suffolk, last Thursday just five days before the incident at the branch in Bury St Edmunds.
He said yesterday: “Thankfully the doors just opened up for me as I lurched forward so I didn’t smash them or anything.
“I knocked down a display but that was it.
“It was all very confusing for me because I drive into that car park every week.
“I just drove into the disabled parking space in first gear and then all of a sudden I just lurched forward.
“It’s the first accident I’ve had but luckily nobody has been badly injured – except my car of course.”
Cllr Buckle said his car has since been written off and thanked staff at the hospital and Tesco for the way they treated him.
One local claimed it was the second time a car had ended up inside the same store.
They said: “Someone has done it before, but that time it was in the middle of the night so there wasn’t any risk to anyone.”
Police said: “Officers were called to reports of a car stuck in the doors of a Tesco Extra in Lawson Place, Bury St Edmunds on Tuesday.
“It appears he has driven into the door, there doesn’t seem to be any reports of serious damage and the driver had only minor injuries.”
Did he want to park close to the entrance but forget his Blue Badge?
I have also had a similar experience while slowly parking my automatic car when it appeared to leap forward at speedd. I hit a wall so not as embarrassing. BUT I could have killed someone. Everyone says I must have hit the accelerator not the brake but I really can’t see how I could or would have done this.
Does anyone have any idea why this might have happened?