A MYSTERY motorist had a lucky escape on Thursday night after crashing into heavy wooden gates, narrowly missing a granite pillar. But house owner Vic Groves is not so happy – the driver fled the scene after causing up to £800-worth of damage.

Mr Groves, who has lived at Rohais Manor for eight-and-a-half years, cannot believe the driver escaped without injury after seeing the damage to the gates and a brick wall.

‘We have an accident here every week, but this was the worst I have had in terms of damage to my property,’ he said.

‘I know it’s a minor thing, but if it was the granite, they would have been in serious trouble. I cannot believe no one was hurt.’

Mr Groves, a retired businessman, and his wife, Kate, were in the front bedroom of their Rohais de Haut house at about 11.30 when they heard a thump, but because of the strong winds that night, they put it down to a door slamming.

As the only evidence is the white paint marks left on the black gates and two pieces of headlamp plastic, Mr Groves believes that the driver must have cleaned up before driving away.

‘I realised that something had happened only when I was walking in the garden the next morning and saw the heavy metal bar that keeps the gates shut,’ he said.

The bar had been forced off the gates and over a 5ft-high wall, landing in the Groves’ garden. Fortunately their car was not parked in its usual spot behind the gates that night.

He will now approach the Environment Department to see if anything can be done to improve safety in the road, such as speed bumps. He put most of the accidents in the road down to speed.

Police have visited the house and are making inquiries, a spokesman confirmed.

Unless the car owner is traced, Mr Groves will have to claim on his own insurance to repair the damage.

‘It is so annoying because it is all down to the insurance premiums,’ he said.