Restaurant thanks community for support after car smashes into front

11 February 2024 , 15:23

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A suspected drink driver lost control of his vehicle and plowed into the front of a busy restaurant in Warrington (Image: Cheshire Police)

A restaurant has said a big thank you to everyone after a car crashed into it while people were eating, causing a huge mess and about £30,000 in damage. The Rokka Bar and Grill in Warrington had a car smash into it on Friday night, but luckily no one was badly hurt.

The driver, who the police think had drunk too much, tried to run away with his friends but got caught not far away. He was arrested after he did a breath test. The restaurant shared a message on Facebook saying: "Dear customers, as you may have already seen or heard, last night our restaurant was involved with a collision from a car driving extremely fast around the bend on Warrington Rd."

"We are very, very lucky that no one within the restaurant or outside was injured, all a bit shook up but thankfully unharmed." "We would firstly like to say thank you for the out pour of support that we have already received from the community with kind messages and asking if we need any help, it's really appreciated. We've been able to secure the windows that have been shattered with wooden boarding and we have given the restaurant a thorough clean throughout the early hours of the morning to make the property safe."

The front of Rokka Bar and Grill was badly-damaged restaurant following the crash (Cheshire Police)

"We have also had an emergency surveillance team come out and check the structure of the building that was impacted and all is structurally stable and we have been given the go ahead to continue with business." "Apart from the eye sore we will be OPEN and providing our service as normal!! We are working as fast as we can on getting fixtures replaced but until then our doors are open and the welcome and service will be exactly the same!! Thank you again for your understanding and continued support it means so much."

Cheshire Police Special Constabulary earlier posted on Facebook: "A suspected drink driver had lost control of his vehicle and ploughed into the front of a busy restaurant remarkably avoiding causing serious injury to anyone! More importantly the restaurant diners, staff and the teenagers walking past outside were very lucky to avoid being seriously injured if not worse in the collision. We estimate it has caused £30,000+ worth of damage to the restaurant, building and street furniture."

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"To our surprise, the driver attempted to leave the scene with the passengers, however he was detained by officers nearby and provided a positive sample of breath, blowing over 90 at the roadside!" Whilst we dealt with the scene of the collision, the driver was arrested by our response colleagues for various offences and initially taken to hospital to get him medically checked over before being taken to custody to be interviewed for the offences when he had sobered up." This is why drink driving is an offence, and completely unacceptable in 2024, it can have such an impact on others, it still baffles us why people continue to risk lives, however to be clear, we will continue to tackle those who still feel it is acceptable to take the risk and ensure they are brought before the courts!" We are glad no one was seriously injured and hope the restaurant gets back on its feet ASAP!"

Ryan Fahey