A DRIVERLESS coach careered out-of-control down a South Lakeland town's main shopping street "miraculously" missing pedestrians, vehicles and buildings, reports Mike Addison.

Witnesses who saw the empty, runaway bus weaving backwards for 40 metres down Ambleside's one-way street were amazed that nobody was hurt and so little damage was done.

The coach had been parked in a lay-by outside the Market Cross Shopping Centre when it started rolling down Rydal Road towards one of the busiest areas of town at around 9.45am on Monday.

Slowly gathering pace it struck the pedestrian refuge at the top of Compston Road and was deflected diagonally across the A591 towards shops and houses on the opposite side of the road.

It mounted a pavement and demolished a low wall and litter bin next to Whittaker's newsagents and came to a stop just a few metres in front of a cottage on Bridge Street in a pedestrian passage formerly called Rattle Gill.

En route it had narrowly missed colliding with a Securicor van parked outside Fred Holdsworth's book shop.

Richard Tordoff, a sales assistant at The Climber's Shop, Compston Corner, saw the drama unfold.

"It's a million to one that nobody was hurt," he said.

"If it had kept its straight course it would have gone into the Apple Pie Eating House.

If it had turned right it would have gone into us or it could have gone into Dodds (restaurant) or Whittakers (newsagent).

"It was going quite fast.

From where I was, it looked like a perfect reverse park into the wall."

Fred Holdsworth and Steve Muscutt were taking delivery of some books outside their bookshop when the orange coach went "sailing by."

They said it could have demolished their shop front as it came down the street.

"I am staggered that there was no cars or pedestrians in its path."

The coach, which sustained only minor damage, had dropped of its party of passengers from the Midlands in Ambleside and the driver is believed to have been in the Tourist Information Centre when the accident happened.

Earlier in the week John Shaw, managing director of Harry Shaw Coaches, of Leamington Spa, said the company was investigating the incident and the driver had been interviewed.

Nobody was available to speak to the Gazette yesterday.

Police were called and because there were no injuries an investigation was not launched and it was dealt with as "a pocket book entry" only.

Lakes parish council clerk Robin Martakies was angry that the coach was dropping off passengers in the lay-by when there were several designated coach bays around the town.