TERRIFIED schoolchildren were just yards away from an out-of-control van which demolished a bus stop.
The painter and decorator’s van smashed into the stop on Rakes Lane, Wallasey, at 3pm on Monday afternoon before rolling onto its side.
The driver, who is believed to have been drinking, ran away from the scene but was brought back in handcuffs by police.
Mum-of-four Angela Cavell, 48, who owns nearby Bo Bo’s babywear, said: “It was a complete nightmare.
“We went out on the street and my son helped this lad out who was really shaken. We took him inside the shop to calm down.
“Another one got out reeking of drink. He looked to be in his twenties.
“I was wearing a navy top and I think he thought I was police because his eyes were rolling and he legged it like a headless chicken.
“If it had happened an hour later the kids would have been out of school and that bus stop would have been full of children on their way home.”
A group of children were buying sweets in a shop 20 feet away.
Mum Chloe Beesley, 32, said: “If they hadn’t taken so long choosing sweets they might have been walking past right at the time it crashed.
“To be honest round that corner is a busy pedestrian area and I’m surprised no one has been hurt.”
Merseyside Police confirmed they had attended a crash in Wallasey and one man had been arrested on suspicion of drink driving and was being interviewed.
THE WIRRAL NEWS