A HISTORIC pub was damaged when a dust cart veered off the road and smashed into it yesterday.

The SITA lorry crashed into the White Horse in Frampton Mansell at about 1pm.

The porch and boiler rooms were knocked down and windows were smashed.

The driver of the lorry is believed to have escaped without serious injury.

No-one else is believed to have been hurt in the collision.

The pub, on the A419 between Stroud and Cirencester, has been shut since April and no-one was inside the Cotswold stone building at the time.

The pub's joint owner, Pat Kiff, who also runs the filling station next door, said the collision appeared to have involved another vehicle, but as the accident was outside of her line of sight from inside the filling station she couldn't be sure.

The damage to the pub is not believed to compromise its structure.

“It's done quite a good job of knocking down the boiler room,” said Mrs Kiff, who owns the filling station and pub with her brother Peter.

“It's also damaged the porch leading on to the pub and some of the windows.

“It looked like a major disaster but I don't think anyone was badly hurt.

“It could have been very serious.

“The driver of the dust cart sustained facial and head injuries. He was walking wounded and I expect he was suffering from shock.

“He was able to get out of the cab.”

She said an ambulance and a helicopter attended the scene with police.

“We did not see anything of the driver of the other car, I assumed they were all right.”

She said she was not yet sure what would be done with the pub.

“We have to make it safe and we are waiting to see what can be done with it,” she said.

A police spokeswoman confirmed the only injured person was the dust cart driver. She said he may have been trying to avoid a silver VW Golf.