Waltham Abbey
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WALTHAM ABBEY: Pub smash latest crash at blackspot
A CRASH which saw a car smash into a pub in the early hours is the latest incident to hit a notorious blackspot road.
Live-in staff were shocked when a blue Fiat Stilo left the road and demolished a fence before hitting the veranda posts of The Plough pub, on Sewardstone Road (the A112), in Waltham Abbey, at about 2.30am on Sunday.
The road has a worrying history of accidents, including a smash just 100 metres from The Plough last August which saw a car strike a street lamp before coming to rest on its side in the Bakers Arm pub.
Barman Dean Thompson, 22, lives at The Plough and was woken by Sunday's crash.
He said: "It made a terrible noise - it was banging, crashing, skidding, screeching and sliding.
"I ran downstairs to see what had happened and saw the wrecked car.
"Part of it was sticking out into the road and the oncoming cars had to swerve to avoid it. It was very dangerous."
He added: "It is a dangerous stretch and the accident and cars do go too fast down there.
"Even as the car sat wrecked next to the pub, other cars came speeding through.
"I think the authorities really need to look at putting a speed camera in there or something else to slow everyone down."
A fire crew from Waltham Abbey spent about an hour helping to clear the accident scene and making the area safe.
The crash caused substantial structural damage to the building, and firefighters had to sure-up the joists of an overhanging balcony which had been dented in the collision.
A fire spokesman said: "When fire fighters arrived on the scene the vehicle was in a precarious position, but empty.
"The vehicle was made as safe as possible."
The pub was opened for business as usual on Sunday following an inspection from a structural engineer.
A 22-year-old man, from east London, was arrested a shortly after the crash on nearby Mott Street, an Essex Police spokesman said.
He was charged with failing to provide a specimen and breath test for analysis, and failing to stop at the scene of a collision.
He has been released on police bail to appear at Harlow Magistrates Court on Thursday, May 8.
11:44am Tuesday 22nd April 2008
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