A DPD van has crashed into scaffolding surrounding a long-derelict Cheriton pub after colliding with a car.

Villager Amber Vellacott was walking her dog yesterday evening when she saw the vehicle had mounted the curb and collided with railings around the White Lion, with its bumper hanging off and wires exposed.

Miss Vellacott says she is not sure how the incident happened but says people often speed in the road.

She said: “I did hear the crash earlier in the afternoon as live just up the road, but couldn’t see what had happened,” she said.

“My biggest concern when I saw the extent of the crash was that I know loads of people walk along that path, kids, me as a dog walker. I was just grateful it seemed no one was hurt.

“A lot of drivers speed down that road to get through the traffic lights, it feels unsafe enough on a normal day.”

A police spokesperson has confirmed the incident involved a car as well as the delivery van.

Officers attended the high street following the accident around 5:45pm yesterday.

“A woman who was a passenger in the car went to hospital as a precaution and officers assisted with the recovery of the vehicles involved,” they said.

The White Lion closed after an 18-year-old was shot in the leg at the pub in 2006. The following year the site was granted planning permission to be turned into student accommodation but work never materialised and the planning approval expired.

In 2017, proposals were unveiled to convert the building – then bricked up and sealed off – into a home for ex-servicemen.

Preparation for the works progressed to the point where the bricks were removed from the windows and doors, but the application was refused in the same year.

In February 2021, however, permission was given to convert the building and surrounding land into supported living accommodation for adults with learning disabilities and/or autism.

Despite the plans getting the green light, no work has taken place and the pub’s deteriorating condition has seen it become a “blight on the local area,” according to Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC).

In October 2023, the council served a Section 215 notice to the site owners, meaning they until November 13, 2024, to make a number of changes. If such a notice is not complied with, it can constitute a criminal offence.