Bargain shunt! BMW driver wrecks £2,000 of antiques after accidentally accelerating into display - then dusts herself down and drives off 

  • Motorist, with personalised plate, seen on CCTV slowly pulling into the car park
  • But she suddenly lurched forward instead of back and smashed into a stone wall
  • Inspected her car, went over to the shop door but then drove back out of gate

By Rory Tingle For Mailonline

Published: 05:44 EST, 31 January 2017 | Updated: 05:54 EST, 31 January 2017

A BMW driver wrecked £2,000 worth of antiques when she tried to park outside a shop - and hit the accelerator instead of the brake.

The motorist, who had a personalised plate, was seen on CCTV slowly pulling into the car park by the store in Sherborne, Dorset, which had items on display outside.

But she suddenly lurched forward instead of back and smashed into a stone wall, taking out two concrete statues, a garden bench, lounger chair and several planters.

The motorist, who had a personalised plate, was seen on CCTV slowly pulling into the car park by the store in Sherborne, Dorset, which had items on display outside

The woman - wearing a black knee-length coat and red top - reversed with her number plate hanging off and got out to inspect the damage to her car.

After some hesitation, she walked to the front entrance of the shop but returned to her car seconds later and drove off without leaving her details.

The owner of the Acreman St Antiques and Interiors has now released the CCTV in a bid to catch the woman who is being hunted by police.

Part of her car - believed to be a dark 3-series BMW estate - were left at the scene. 

But businesswoman Gill Norman said she had so far been unable to read the woman's number plate because it was obscured by the sun's glare.

Mrs Norman said: 'It was an accident - if she had just come in and told us it would have been on her insurance but now it's criminal damage.

But she suddenly lurched forward instead of back and smashed into a stone wall, taking out two concrete statues, a garden bench, lounger chair and several planters

The woman - wearing a black knee-length coat and red top - reversed with her number plate hanging off and got out to inspect the damage to her car

'We think she may have been before. Many of our customers come and browse with their partners and come back on their own to pick something up.

'We know that the car had personalised number plates - the first section of the plate has fewer characters than normal.

'Unfortunately we can't make it out on the CCTV footage because the sun is shining into the camera, creating a glare.

'Hopefully the police will be able to enhance it.'

She said the damage included statues of two nude women, a wrought iron three-seat garden bench, lounger chair, smaller statue and some garden planters.

After some hesitation, she walked to the front entrance of the shop but returned to her car seconds later and drove off without leaving her details

She added that her colleague Alastair MacAndrew heard a loud bang around 10.30am on Saturday January 21 but the woman had gone by the time he went outside.

Dorset police said: 'We were called out to reports of a failure to stop following a collision on Acreman Street at around 10am on January 21.

'The driver caused damage to two statues and a garden bench. We cannot confirm the driver's gender at this stage, but it is believed the car was a dark BMW.'  

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