A site owned by a Top 50 Indie had a lucky escape when an HGV crashed into its forecourt, just missing the pumps, after a head-on collision with another lorry.

The smash occurred early in the morning on Wednesday August 16, on the A27 in East Sussex, in front of the Local Fuels branded Selmeston Service Station, owned by Pricewatch.

Two lorries travelling in opposite directions collided, and one of them was badly damaged. It careered onto the forecourt, heading directly for the pumps, but coming to a rest just before it hit them.

The road was blocked while the scene was made safe and the vehicles were recovered, and it was fully reopened at 9.10am.

Sussex Police said both of the lorry drivers sustained minor injuries, but no one else was hurt in the accident.

Bruce Lee, who works at Selmeston Service Station, said: “I was behind the counter around about 10 minutes past six when I heard an almighty crash.

“I looked out the window and there were two lorries collided just by the forecourt, about three feet away from one of my pumps.”

Pricewatch was ranked 22nd in the most recent Forecourt Trader Top 50 Indies, and has 12 Local Fuels sites across East and West Sussex.