Gravestones at Belhelvie Church in Aberdeenshire have been “significantly damaged” after a car ploughed into the cemetery’s wall at the weekend.
The incident happened at around 4.20pm on Saturday, July 23 and is the second time in just over a year that the wall has been driven through.
Officers closed part of the B977 Belhelvie to Balmedie road while emergency services attended to the incident, with it reopening at around 9.30pm that evening.
The driver of the car involved, a 34-year-old man, was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary with serious injuries.
‘It’s a minor miracle that no one was killed in this incident’
A statement from Belhelvie Church on Facebook said: “Given that there were several folk visiting the graveyard at the time, it’s a minor miracle that no one was killed in this incident, including the driver.
“Our hearts go out to everyone who’s going to be affected by this – again.”
Behelvie Churchyard’s burial ground is the responsibility of Aberdeenshire Council and has been cordoned off until it can be made safe again, with debris still at the site.
‘Inquiries into the crash are continuing’
North East Road Policing Unit’s Sergeant Eoin Maxwell said: “Our inquiries into the crash are continuing and we are appealing for anyone who witnessed it or the vehicle involved, to please come forward and speak to officers.
“If you have any information, including dashcam footage, which could assist our investigation please call us on 101, quoting incident 2416 of Saturday, July 23, 2022.”
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