Atishoo! Atishoo! Cheddar’s ancient market cross falls down!

A taxi driver who crashed into Cheddar’s ancient market cross says he is devastated by what has happened.

Mati Levy, of Rodney Stoke, has been a taxi driver in the Cheddar Valley for five years without a blemish to his name. He said at 4.10am on Saturday, March 31, he was driving back from Bristol Airport when he violently sneezed as he approached the centre of Cheddar at around 25mph.

The convulsion made him lose control of his VW Transporter and he had a coming together with the Grade II listed monument.

The delicate building partly collapsed onto the taxi – but the vehicle’s air bags did not deploy due to the comparatively low speed it struck.

“I was devastated,” said Mr Levy. “When I got home I sobbed. It would be the last building I would want to damage.

“All I can say is sorry to the people of Cheddar and the area. And extend my apologies to the motorists and everyone who will be caught up in the traffic jams as a result.”

Mr Levy was breathalised by police at the scene but the constabulary said there were no charges to answer. Somerset Highways immediately took charge of the scene following the crash making the structure safe and setting up three way traffic lights.

They said: “The work was carried out in partnership and consultation with Cheddar Parish Council who own the Cross which is a scheduled monument.

“Any further work to repair the cross will be the responsibility of the parish council but the county council’s engineers and heritage officers will be on hand to assist in any way they can.

“The temporary traffic lights will have to remain in place to keep traffic safely away from the damaged structure until repairs can be carried out. This will take some time owing to the severity of the damage and complexity of the repairs needed.”

The leader of the parish council, Lyn Goodfellow, who was one of the first on the scene and said it was tragic. She said: “The market cross is an iconic building. It must be repaired and protected as it is so precious.”

Also on hand was parish councillor Andy Bosley who is responsible for highways issues in the village. He was adamant the stones should not leave the community as he was concerned they could be damaged.

Mr Bosley said he hoped a stonemason could be contracted soon and a safety compound set up to protect the building while the work was carried out as had happened before. In 1999 the cross was damaged by vandals while a year later it was hit by a car causing considerable damage and a lengthy dispute over insurance.

The Grade II listed building is beloved of teenagers as a hang-out spot in the village and was originally designed as an shop or market for market gardeners and for dairy produce.

Its core dates from the 15th century although it has an octagonal shelter that was added later and replaced in 1834.

Mr Levy has admitted responsibility and has contacted his insurance company who will deal with the accident as a straight forward claim. He said he is taking two weeks off work as he was in a state of shock. Nobody was hurt in the accident and no other vehicles were involved.

Anne Fieldhouse of Arundel House that overlooks the cross was woken from her bed at 4.10am. She said: “One guest heard a screech and then a rumble. I felt it through my body. I leapt up and ran outside. Someone was shouting from the flat above the hairdresser. The driver seemed dazed and shocked. I didn’t call an ambulance but I called the police and the council.”

Mr Levy, 42, is married and has a family and is well known in the valley as a taxi driver. He originally came to England from Israel and worked as a chauffeur in London before moving to the area in 2007.

“All my career I have never had an accident,” he said. “It’s unreal. The last thing I would want to damage is a 500-year-old market cross. We moved to the valley because of its beauty and history. I am so sorry for what has happened.”

source: http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/