Reckless driver is caught racing down steps and careering along footpath in Mercedes 4×4 FOUR TIMES in an hour in upmarket Kensington
- Driver of Mercedes jeep made shortcut four times in an hour at around midnight
- Kensington and Chelsea council fixed steps within 48 hours at cost of near £500
- The bizarre repeated journeys were caught by a nearby resident’s CCTV camera
A driver has been branded ‘senseless’ after being filmed repeatedly careering along a footpath and travelling down a set of steps in central London.
The Mercedes 4×4 caused hundreds of pounds worth of damage after squeezing between a set of bollards and bombing down a set of concrete steps four times in just one hour.
The driver was making the shortcut from Hippodrome Place on Portland Road to Walmer Road in the upmarket borough of Kensington and Chelsea at around midnight last Sunday (October 10).
The local council fixed the steps within 48 hours, but the damage cost almost £500 to repair.
Councillor Johnny Thalassites, the lead member for environment and planning, described the driving as ‘senseless’.
He said: ‘This sort of driving is senseless and has pulled staff and cash away from other road maintenance for a day.
‘We need to make the best use of the resources we have to serve our communities, especially as we recover from the effects of the pandemic.
The Mercedes 4×4 (pictured on CCTV) caused hundreds of pounds worth of damage after squeezing between a set of bollards and bombing down a set of concrete steps four times in just one hour
The driver was making the shortcut from Hippodrome Place on Portland Road to Walmer Road in the upmarket borough of Kensington and Chelsea at around midnight last Sunday
The local council fixed the steps (pictured) within 48 hours, but the damage cost almost £500 to repair
‘This is not a good use of our time – I’m just glad officers could get it sorted so quickly.’
Broken tiles were seen strewn over the wrecked path in the luxury neighbourhood – where the average house costs £1.53million.
CCTV footage at around 12.30am taken from a nearby resident’s camera showed the heavy Mercedes pass near the entrance to a block of flats in order to fit between the wall and the first bollard.
This is the first time a car has been caught on camera driving over the steps, but residents in the area have complained of collisions and near-misses between mopeds, bikes and pedestrians in the past.
The driver responsible could be slapped with a careless or dangerous driving charge, meaning they could face prosecution and possibly even imprisonment.
If the case does go to court, the council is determined to recover the £472 spent on repairing the footpath and would look to recoup this from the suspect, the authority said.
Mail Online has contacted Metropolitan Police for comment.
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