Police have charged a man in connection with a crash that left a BMW stranded on top of a Mini for sale on a Helston garage forecourt.

The BMW 5-series appeared to have left the road at the top of Sithney Common Hill and driven over a grass verge and granite boulder before mounting the 2014 Mini Paceman that was was for sale at Chris Nicholls Motors for just under £11,000.

Large chunks of turf had been sprayed over the vehicles either side, with deep gouges left in the ground.

The Mini appeared to have borne the brunt of the impact, with its bonnet crumpled upwards.

Police confirmed they received a number of calls about the incident, which took place at around 5.30am on Sunday.

Garage owner Chris Nicholls remained philosophical about the incident the next morning, telling the Packet: "It could have been a lot worse if it was on the bend or someone was coming the other way.

"I'm just thankful that, for whatever reason, the crash didn't injure anyone. That's life, these things happen."

The BMW was due to be towed away today, putting an end to the interested views of passersby - with Mr Nicholls saying a large number of motorists had been slowing down to take a look.

He said the matter was now in the hands of the insurers to decide whether the Mini would be written off or was repairable.

The cars either side of the damaged Mini had also been carefully inspected, he added.

"We'll get the grass repaired and the bollard put back in place, and no one will every know it took place," he said.

  • Henry Stone, aged 20 from Ashton, has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and is due to appear before magistrates in Truro on March 5.