SHOP staff and customers had a miracle escape after a car ploughed into a tanning salon.

The car drove through the front of Heatwave in Canada Way, Lower Wick, just before 12.30pm today (Tuesday, September 26).

Firefighters had to free the driver of the car, a woman in her 70s, following the crash. Police and the ambulance service also attended.

The crash is a devastating blow to staff at the shop, who had only finished a refurbishment of the shop days earlier.

LIVE UPDATES: Car crashes into tanning salon in Worcester

Owner Nicole LePoidevin, who has run Heatwave for four years, said the accident had caused tens of thousands of pounds of damage. 

But she was relieved that no-one was hurt in the crash. Two customers were in the shop but not on the sunbeds at the time as well as staff.

“I’m shook up and disappointed,” she said, “we only finished refitting the shop last week - we’ve had two new sunbeds and they’ve both been destroyed.

“I was sitting at the desk, which sits in front of the window and my dog was sitting at the side of the desk - how it’s not hit him I don’t know, but he seems ok.”

The desk was shunted back into a sunbed, destroying an internal wall.

Despite the shock, Nicole is determined the incident won’t hold the business back for long.

“We want people to know that we’re not closing down,” she said. “We’re doing everything we can to get all of this sorted. This won’t impact us for long.”

A spokesman for West Mercia Police said: "We received a call around 12:30pm this afternoon (26 September) with a report of a car driving into a shop window on Canada Way in Worcester. 

"Officers promptly arrived at the incident to find a female had accidently driven her vehicle into the front window of a tanning salon that is on the street. 

"The lady didn’t receive any injuries other than shock and the car has minor damage."

A fire service spokesman said: "Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service was called out to a road traffic collision into a building in Worcester at 12.38pm today.

“One Worcester Fire Station crew attended Canada Way, where a car had hit a shop window, with supporting appliances not required.

“A woman in her 70s was unable to get out of the vehicle due to debris.

“The crew freed the woman who was left in the care of the ambulance service.

“They made the car and the building safe before leaving the incident with the police at 1.38pm.”