Eyewitnesses say a delivery van driver drove away after knocking down a cast iron lamppost on Deal seafront.

People enjoying the sunshine, on the hottest day of the year so far, were shocked to see and hear the lamppost smash against the promenade at around 12.30pm today.

Zoe Fitzsimmons, 22, waitress at Sea View fish and chip shop on Beach Street, said: “I didn’t see anything at first, I heard it and thought what was that.

“I looked outside and noticed the lamppost had fallen. This huge delivery van, I wasn't sure if it was parked up or if it was reversing but it looked like it was reversing.

“He saw what had happened and he didn’t stop. He carried on driving down the road and a few of the public ran after him.”

She added: “There was a quite a few people sat down having a few chips and an ice cream.

"Luckily, no one was hurt.”

Kent Council County arrived at the scene by 1pm.

Miss Fitzsimmons said: “They came down quite quickly.”

They moved the lamppost 90 degrees to clear the walkway and cordoned it off with red and white tape.

A spokesperson for Kent County Council said: "We cordoned off the damaged column when this was reported to us and we are investigating a report that it was knocked over by a vehicle. If this is the case, we will seek to recover the costs of repairing the damage from the driver, so that tax payers are not left footing the bill.

"At least 95% of faulty street lights are repaired within 10 working days. If a street light can't be fixed on the first visit, we may need to order extra parts and the repair will be planned as soon as possible, normally within 28 days. This is an ornate lamp and will take up to 12 weeks to be replaced."