A FAMILY had a lucky escape when a delivery lorry took the wrong turn and struck their garden wall.

Charlotte Hornby was at home in Haydon Bridge with her two young children, when the lorry driver attempted to negotiate the narrow lane behind her home on Ratcliffe Road, to get to the nearby Co-op store, on Monday evening.

But the vehicle collided with the 30-yard back garden wall, causing substantial damage.

The structure was considered unsafe by Northumberland County Council, which attended the scene and closed a stretch of the narrow lane, which runs between Ratcliffe Road and Parker’s Terrace, on safety grounds.

Mrs Hornby’s husband Stephen, who returned home from work shortly after the incident, used heavy duty fence posts to support the wall, and prevent it from collapsing.

Mrs Hornby said: “We had been planning to have a barbecue in the back yard, but my husband Stephen was late getting back from work so we didn’t.

“The wall could easily have come down, so it has been a lucky escape.

“The back lane is very narrow and is absolutely not suitable for an articulated lorry.

“I spoke to the driver and he said he didn’t realise the extent of the damage he caused.

“He thought he’d just scraped the wall. But had he just knocked on the door and told us he couldn’t get past, we would have advised him.”

A Co-op spokeswoman said all delivery drivers should access the store at its main entrance, on Ratcliffe Road.

She added: “We are extremely sorry for any inconvenience caused.

“Road safety is a priority for our business and we expect all our drivers to follow our strict policies.”

Northumberland County Council said: “Because the wall was considered to be unsafe, the team put in place a temporary closure of that section of the lane.

“There was still access from the other end of the lane.”