Learner driver spoils the party after she crashes into a house

Published on Thursday 19 August 2010 10:05

A LEARNER driver forced a whole street to be evacuated when she drove into the side of a house during a botched three-point turn.

The driver cracked a water pipe, flooding the street and causing a gas pipe to rupture. Firefighters were scrambled to the scene and were forced to extinguish a barbecue at a birthday party across the road for fear of it causing an explosion.

They later apologised for spoiling the party, but residents insisted the student driver was to blame for "lurching forward". Both the learner and the BSM driving instructor escaped unscathed.

About 30 people from homes on Park Terrace in Edinburgh were sent to the nearby Newcraighall Primary School while gas engineers wrestled with the burst pipe.

The driving school's Fiat 500 car was emblazoned with the slogan: "More experience, more passes." But one bystander said: "If she's on her test, I doubt she's passed."

Workmen had to dig up the pavement to cut off the gas and stem any risk of further damage.

One of the residents evacuated was school cleaner Caroline Leslie, 53, who opened up the building for her neighbours.

She said: "I heard a bang, then saw all the emergency services and thought 'Oh my God this is quite serious'. A firewoman came to my door saying everyone had to get out. I didn't see the driver, but she got something very wrong hitting that house."

Ms Leslie, who has worked at the school for 17 years, said: "Most of the people here are elderly and I didn't want them standing outside all night or trying to find somewhere to go – so I took everyone over to the school and made them all tea."

Another neighbour said the crash had left her bemused. June Sipton, 66, who lives close to the accident, said: "It's not that wide a road, but they managed to mount the kerb and knock the pipe out of the wall.

"If she's on her test, I doubt she's passed for lurching forward into a wall. The water was gushing up into the air and the whole street was flooded."

A BSM spokesman said: "An accident occurred during a routine manoeuvre, which resulted in the car mounting a narrow pavement. A plastic gas pipe was knocked in the incident.

"No-one was hurt and the instructor remained at the scene until people were able to return to their homes."

He added that the Data Protection Act prevented the firm from disclosing the driver's name.

Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that it had sent residents to Newcraighall Primary School and fixed the water leak while Scottish Gas Networks dealt with the broken gas pipe.

A brigade spokeswoman said: "Our crews were on the scene within minutes and quickly isolated the gas."