Woodthorpe: 'Frustration' after war memorial hit by car

A new war memorial has been damaged after it was hit by a car in a Derbyshire village.

Police were called to reports of the collision in Woodthorpe at about 04:30 GMT on Saturday.

Lee Rowley, MP for North East Derbyshire, said he was "sad" to see the damage, as the memorial had recently been reinstalled.

A man in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and released on bail, police said.

The force confirmed a Volkswagen Passat had collided with the war memorial and a wall in Norbriggs Road.

The driver of the vehicle has been taken to hospital for what were understood to be non-life-threatening injuries.

Mr Rowley posted on Facebook: "It is particularly sad, frustrating and worrying given that the memorial had only recently been reinstalled following a similar issue several years ago.

"I feel very sorry for the village and I'm very sorry to everyone who has been impacted by this, particularly the houses nearest to it."

Mr Rowley said he had already spoken to Staveley town councillors and will be raising the issue with Derbyshire County Council this week.

A spokesperson for Derbyshire County Council said: "We're sorry to hear about what's happened to the memorial again.

"The latest accident is still being investigated, although we understand from the police that speed wasn't a factor in either incident."

Mr Rowley visited the site on Saturday afternoon and spoke to local residents.

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