Pictures and video: Three-storey building in Newport evacuated after car crashes into it
The outside of a three-storey building in Newport was destroyed when a car crashed through a fence and damaged a wall at a retirement community.
Residents at the facility in Butter Cross Court off Stafford Road had to be evacuated and the woman driving the car needed to be rescued before the fire service could pull the Mercedes A180 over the gap between the road and the house.
Onlookers said they heard a loud revving before the crash.
One man, wished to remain anonymous, said: "You had to look twice. I couldn't believe what I'd seen.
"There was a loud noise and then a lot of dust."
Station Manager John Temple, assistant group commander for Shropshire Fire and Rescue, said: "We got called to a vehicle that had gone into the building.
"The vehicle had reversed out of its parking space, it appears to be at speed, has hit the wall and created the damage that you can see.
"At this stage we couldn't possibly say what has happened.
"We had three appliances, one from Telford, Newport and Wellington, with a specialist crew on a rescue tender. They're the crew that made sure the area was kept safe and stopping any further collapse.
"The lady was still in the car. Police were first in attendance. On arrival we've taken the lady out of the car for her own safety. She didn't appear to be carrying injuries – she was checked over by the ambulance service.
"We had a building inspector at the site of the incident, ensuring that it was okay to hand it over to the building owners."
Dorothy Dixon, who lives nearby, said: "My friend told me about the crash. I didn't hear it myself, but I when I came around I was shocked."
Four fire crews from were sent to the scene, along with police and the ambulance service.
The crash happened at about 11.20am, with firemen staying in the area for much of the afternoon.
Paul Roberts, of West Mercia Police, said: "We were called to reports of white Mercedes colliding with a property off Stafford Street in Newport just before 11.15am this morning.
"The driver of the vehicle was unhurt and nobody inside the property was injured either, although there was damage to railings and the wall.
"Fire service attended the scene and a road closure on Stafford Street was in place whilst the safety of the building is examined by a structural engineer."
