STAFF at the YMCA showroom in Bromsgrove got the shock of their lives after a car was driven straight through the front display window and into the store.

The incident occurred just after 11am on Thursday, December 10 in the Bromsgrove Retail Park on Birmingham Road.

A spokesman for the West Midlands Ambulance Service said a paramedic went out to the scene to check over the driver of the car, a woman in her 60s, but luckily she was unharmed.

YMCA assistant manager Andy Seer watched the car come through the window. He said: “The woman was trying to park and hit the wrong pedal, hit the accelerator not the break. It’s certainly not something I’ll ever see again.”

The car, a Renault Kangoo, was driven approximately eight feet into the store, smashing through the glass at the front of the shop, and hitting several items of furniture before coming to a rest on the carpet, where it left skid marks.

Another member of staff described the entire incident as ‘quite scary’.

Ambulance, police and fire crews attended the scene, and managed to drive the car back out of the store before the windows could be boarded up.

Andy added: “She was okay, she was a bit shocked, and the damage to the car wasn’t that bad, but there’s lots of damaged furniture, bric-a-brac, all sorts. We’ve got a new window ordered, but we’ve had to shut the shop.”

Staff estimated the incident has caused thousands of pounds worth damage, not only to the window, but also in terms of lost stock and from having to close the store so close to Christmas.