A van driver is under investigation after destroying a bus shelter in Inchture when he crashed through it with his vehicle during rush hour .
The male driver, 31, hit the structure at 5.40pm on Friday, destroying the frame and sending glass scattering across the the pavement and street of Main Road in the Perthshire village.
Local councillor Angus Forbes believes the driver was lucky the incident occurred during the Covid-19 lockdown as the bus stop would normally have been occupied with waiting passengers at that time on a Friday.
The Conservative politician for the Carse of Gowrie ward told The Courier: “I was very concerned to learn that the Inchture bus shelter had been destroyed by a van on Friday evening.
“Under normal circumstances there could well have been a number of people at the bus stop and the outcome could have been a lot worse.
“The priority now must be to get the bus shelter replaced as quickly as possible and I’ll be asking the council how we can expedite that process once the police have finished their investigations.”
One witness who passed the scene shortly after the crash described the van as “seriously damaged” and believed the airbags had gone off.
Officers were attending the scene at the time and have since reported the driver to the Procurator Fiscal.
Police Scotland confirmed that no-one was injured in the smash but said the driver was being investigated for road traffic offences.
A spokesperson for the force said: “Around 5.40pm on Friday, January 22, officers were called to a report of a road crash involving one van on Main Road, Inchture.
“An ambulance was not required.
“A 31 year-old man is subject of a report to the Procurator Fiscal for alleged road traffic offences.”
On Monday the damaged shelter remained on site at Main Street, cordoned off with orange barriers and cones while police tape remained visible at the scene.
Perth and Kinross Council said it could take eight weeks for a new shelter to be installed.
A spokesperson for the local authority said: “Perth and Kinross Council was made aware of the incident soon after it happened and workers moved quickly to make the site safe over the weekend.
“The remains of the shelter will be removed on Tuesday and the installation of a new shelter will be organised as soon as possible but this could take up to eight weeks.”
