LOCAL charity, Mid Devon Mobility, which cares for the transport needs of so many people in the Crediton and Tiverton areas, has suffered a real blow.

A hit-and-run driver crashed into one of its Mobility buses, which had been parked at the end of Commonmarsh Lane on the Lords Meadow Industrial Estate.

The vehicle has sustained considerable damage and currently cannot be driven.

Crediton Transport Co-Ordinator Sarah Holmes explained: “We are in shock and doing all we can to not let our passengers down.

“The bus was parked in Commonmarsh Lane on Wednesday evening (October 26) after driving a disabled lad home.

“That evening, at about 9.30pm, a white vehicle was captured on CCTV speeding along the road and then crashed at speed into the parked bus.

“Our driver went to pick up the bus on Friday morning (October 28) and discovered it had been badly damaged.

“It has been severely pushed in and the front wheel is broken.

“The hazard lights were on and the drivers side door cannot be closed.

“We were just unable to move it.

“Graphic plc were able to tell us the time of the incident and we are told the details about the vehicle and the fact that it lost it while speeding on the corner and shunted straight into our bus.

“It is our small red bus which we use for routes where a narrow vehicle is required, such as Yeoford and Coleford, with narrow roads.

“We also use it to take out people from Hillbrow and Kenwyn Residential Homes as the bus has wheelchair access.

“Sadly we have had to cancel some of the trips, which are so important for some people.

“The insurance company is collecting the bus and we hope that we can claim but I don’t think we will be able to claim for all of it.

“We had the bus adapted with a tail lift, sign writing and much more.

“To operate, we have to have the bus checked every 10 weeks to ensure it is road legal.

“We will have to find a new home for it to be parked when we get a new one or it is repaired.

“We are just trying to resolve it and this morning (Saturday, October 29) I spent two hours at the police station reporting the incident.

“Initially we want to trace who did this, then we would love to get some donations towards our costs.”

If you can help, please contact Mid Devon Mobility on 01363 773303 or email: [email protected] .