Bus driver charged after almost crashing into Jedburgh cafe

The public service bus, operated by Jedburgh-firm Peter Hogg, ground to a halt just before it would have hit the Abbey Tollhouse at Abbey Bridge End on Saturday afternoon, after first smashing into a BMW 1 Series car.

The route 20 Hawick to Kelso bus, known as Thumper, was being driven by a 47-year-old man, who has since been charged in connection with careless driving and issued with a fixed penalty ticket.

He was travelling down Oxnam Road and heading back towards the town centre bus station but failed to stop at the junction with the A68 bypass, and instead careered into an oncoming car, over the carriageway pavement, striking a road sign and lampost, and coming to rest just inches from the Abbey Tollhouse, a cafe and stove centre.

Nobody was injured in the accident at the busy junction is the main access to the town’s Howdenburn housing and industrial area and was witnessed by pedestrians at the busy junction, which plays home to the town’s swimming pool, junior rugby team’s clubhouse and main visitor car park.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue attended and Police Scotland partially closed the road for almost five hours until the bus was pulled free by recovery teams at around 8.30pm.

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “Police in the Scottish Borders were called to the A68, near Abbey Bridge Toll House, in Jedburgh around 3.20pm on Saturday, December 22, after a bus struck a BMW 1 Series and collided with a lampost.

“Working with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Scottish Borders Council and Scottish Power, the bus was moved and the road fully reopened around 8.30pm.

“The 47-year-old male driver of the bus was charged in connection with careless driving and issued with a fixed penalty ticket.”

A bus operated by the same firm almost ended up in the River Jed in October 2016.

The driver, 61-year-old Colin Hill from Hawick, was charged with dangerous driving and banned from the road for two years after his vehicle was left hanging over the side of a river bank.

Nobody was hurt in that accident.