IT was a moment of madness that wreaked havoc on a Hampshire pub.
Scores of people watched in disbelief as a car was driven through the doors of the Fareham bar before being used as a battering ram inside.
Windows were smashed, the bar crushed and furniture destroyed by the Vauxhall Cavalier that was left parked inside by a man thought to be a disgruntled customer who had been barred.
Staff at the Lord Arthur Lee pub on West Street were forced to dive for cover as the car ploughed into the bar before performing a three-point turn in the middle of the pub knocking through tables and chairs and a structural pillar.
Luckily only a handful of customers were in the pub about 10.20am when the incident occurred. Two were reported to have minor injuries.
Rob Chamberlain, area manager of the J D Wetherspoons chain that owns the pub, said the damage was estimated at hundreds of thousands of pounds. "I got a call to tell me that there was a car in the pub. First of all I thought it was an accident and somebody had just swerved in here. The guy had been causing problems in the pub for the past few days by begging and asking customers for drinks. He came back and was again told to leave at which point he threatened staff.
"One of the bar staff was forced to take cover by the coffee machine as the car was driven in to the bar.
"The staff have handled the whole thing extremely well and reacted excellently to the situation but obviously they are shaken by it."
Meanwhile eye-witnesses spoke of their horror at the moment the car was driven through the pub doors by a man who had already used a dumbbell to smash several windows outside.
Lorraine Clements, 36, who works at the Red Cross charity shop opposite the pub said: "It was completely terrifying. It was amazing no one was seriously hurt."
Police confirmed a 35-year-old man from Fareham was arrested at the scene after being overpowered by onlookers. He spent yesterday being questioned by Fareham police.
It is thought the pub will remain closed for a month for repairs.
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