THE manager of an Oxfordshire pub said an incident in which a van ploughed into the wall of a nearby bridge could have been much worse. 

A transit van driver suffered a medical episode at the wheel while travelling on the A44 in Woodstock last Thursday at about 4pm. 

The van then crashed into a railing outside The Black Prince pub before colliding with the wall of a bridge.

Manager of The Black Prince Darren Grant said: “It was quite scary. From my investigation it seems the railing outside saved the vehicle from going into the pub itself – so it could have been a lot worse.

“Customers at the bay window on that side of the pub were in shock. They would have been enjoying a drink then seen a van sliding past the window.

“It’s a miracle that this hasn’t happened before with the volume of traffic, including HGVs, coming through Woodstock and our position at the bottom of a hill. Quite often we hear the screeching of brakes.

“There are often people walking along the walkway at the front of the pub. If anyone was walking along there at that time they would have been cut in half. The impact was savage.”

Mr Grant said only minor damage was caused to a trellis fence and gate belonging to the pub.

Thames Valley Police, the ambulance service and Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue crews were on the scene.

South Central Ambulance Service spokesman David Gallagher said: "The driver had suffered a medical episode at the wheel.

"We sent two officers in a rapid response vehicle and an ambulance to the scene. He was able to be treated at the scene."

Oxford Mail staff member Angela Swann, who was travelling home and was hurried on by police, said it was 'dramatic'.

She added: "There was a van practically perched on top of the bridge wall."