Brakes failed on a van left unattended parked in Lion Street on Tuesday, December 24. The van rolled down into window of The Mariners, causing major structural damage to front of shop. It is incredible that no one was hurt.
The vehicle's trajectory was thrown out of the straight line down Lion Street and it is conjectured that the offside front wheel of the vehicle turned after striking the kerb outside Bennett's, the men's outfitters.
The shop was partially boarded up the following day, to protect the damaged sheet glass window. Subsequently however, the whole shop front to the right of the doorway was boarded up, suggesting that the damage was indeed more structural. Repair works are being put in hand by the tea room's proprietors, Canterbury Oast Trust.
