Landlady speaks of her shock after car crashes into pub (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

Landlady speaks of her shock after car crashes into the Crooked Billet in Colney Heath

10:00am Friday 3rd February 2012 in News By Zoe Forsey

A landlady from Colney Heath has spoken of her shock after a car drove into her pub for the second time in a year.

Julie Kasprak, who owns the Crooked Billet in High Street, was unable to trade on Wednesday after a man in his 70s reversed into the pub’s toilet block.

She said: “It was all a bit emotional and there were a few tears.

“It is hard to describe – when it is your own building and you love it you don’t want to see that terrible damage.”

Ms Kasprak had been writing out menus with one of the pub’s waitresses when the elderly driver reversed off his drive, across a busy road, and into the 200-year-old building.

She added: “The fact there were no pedestrians or other vehicles is a miracle.

“If he had been a couple of meters over he would have taken the pub down – it could have been a very different story.”

An ambulance was called to the scene at around 11.40am, but the man did not need to go to hospital.

This is not the first time the pub has been the victim of a car accident. Another driver crashed into the toilet block last year.

However the driver fled the scene and they were unable to take legal action against him.

Because of the history, the landlady of 20 years knew exactly what had happened before she saw the red Clio.

She said: “I knew by the sound what had happened.

“I ran out straight away know exactly what I would see.”