Woman causes £53K harm smashing right into a pub – as she raced to final orders

A young woman caused a whopping £53k worth of damage when she crashed her silver BMW into a Grade-II listed pub while racing for last orders.

The impact of Natasha Searle, 25,driving at speed took out one of the front walls of the 17th-century pub, causing devastating damage. Angry punters confronted her before her boyfriend arrived to whisk her away, leaving her passenger to be rescued from the wreckage by firefighters.

Norfolk Police cordoned off the area until the early hours, with dedicated staff and local tradesmen managing to get the pub fit for reopening just six hours later.

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Searle claimed she “had to swerve” to avoid an oncoming vehicle on May 17 and was told she only had to pay £2k to former landlord Paul Holland. Mr Holland’s insurance covered £51k of the damage at the Wortwell Bell in Harleston, Norfolk.

He expressed his frustration that Searle wasn’t charged for drink driving, stating: “I don’t know why the police didn’t act quicker to get the driver for drink driving. The fact that she got away with it is just ridiculous.”

He also revealed a near-miss incident involving a regular patron who was about to sit on a bench that got crashed into the pub, saying: “He would have been killed – so how she wasn’t charged for dangerous driving or driving without due care or attention I just will never understand.”

Natasha Searle, a resident of Harleston, admitted to driving without insurance, failing to report an accident, and failing to stop after an accident.

During a hearing at Great Yarmouth Magistrates’ Court, it was revealed that Searle and a friend had consumed “a few drinks” at home before driving approximately five miles to the Homersfield Black Swan on May 17.

As the Black Swan was closing around 11 pm, they went in search of another pub that was still serving, after stepping outside for a cigarette.

The pair decided to try their luck at The Wortwell Bell, a short five-minute drive away, and got into the silver BMW with Searle behind the wheel.

The crash occurred when the silver BMW collided with the front of the 17th-century pub, destroying the porch area at 11:15 pm. Following a 999 call from a customer, the police cordoned off the pub until 5:30 am, forcing the pub staff and Mr Holland to remain there until morning.

Thanks to an army of volunteers who came to help in the early hours, the pub successfully reopened at 11:50 am. In mitigation, Calvin Saker stated that Searle “felt intimidated” by the angry patrons who confronted her after the incident.

Probation officers assessed Searle’s circumstances and determined she was both “unsuitable” and “unable” to meet the requirements of a community order for personal reasons. The judge ordered Searle to pay £2,365 in court charges, with £2,000 as compensation to ex-landlord Paul Holland.

The insurance of Mr Holland took care of £51,000 worth of damages, barring an excess of £2,000 from his own wallet. Searle also received a 12-month driving ban.”

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