Man charged after car crashes through pub wall

The Pilot Inn's owner said a car hit the building in the early hours of Sunday

A man has been charged with driving offences after a car crashed through the side of a pub, police have said.

The Pilot Inn, in Lydd-on-Sea, thanked neighbours for helping it reopen on Sunday afternoon after the incident occurred shortly after midnight.

Officers later charged Howard Sargeant, of Coat Drive in Romney Marsh, with drink driving and driving whilst unfit, Kent Police said.

The 52-year-old, now on bail, is due before Folkestone Magistrates' Court on 27 August.

The pub's owner Rachel Miaoulis told the BBC several staff members and locals helped clear the debris overnight following Sunday's crash.

"I can't believe how people, when we needed them, actually put their full heart into it, helping us out so we could open," she said.

The inn has now boarded up the damaged exterior wall

According to Ms Miaoulis, the damaged section of the premises has been isolated and boarded up since the crash.

"The damage that it caused is just crazy," she said.

The venue "can't afford to close" in summer, she added, as it is the business's busiest time of year.

In 2021, a police van overturned after crashing into a telegraph pole and the pub's signpost.