Lorry ‘rolls down hill’ and smashes through front gardens

Police Scotland attended Gardiner Road, Prestonpans, after a flatbed lorry ploughed into the gardens close to Preston Lodge High School. Some residents on the scene alleged that the lorry had "rolled down the hill" from the nearby high school. It is not clear what caused the incident.

Pictures taken by the Courier show the road shut off with the lorry spread across the three front gardens of numbers 115, 117 and 119 Gardiner Road. READ MORE: Possible thefts from gardens in Prestonpans being investigated by police [1] The front fence of 115 was flattened, with the fence between 115 and 117 smashed.

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The brick wall between 117 and 119 was also damaged by the lorry. During the incident, two cars, a Hyundai i20 and a Ford Ranger, were also damaged by the lorry. A worried family member of a neighbour on the street, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "I think the hand brake went loose when the guy was trying to hook up the lorry and trailer and they just started to move and roll down the hill.

The lorry is currently nestled in the three front gardens of Gardiner Road (Image: NQ Staff) "I think they had been delivering something to the school. "My daughter heard a crash and she told me her car had just been smashed and that is when I came round to see what was happening." Another neighbour said: "I was just in my living room watching TV. I didn't hear a thing."

The daughter of a resident who lived at one of the damaged properties said: "I am just glad no one was hurt. My mum got a little bit of a fright but I am just glad everyone is okay." The lorry took damaged two fences and a wall between the properties (Image: NQ Staff) Neil Gilbert, SNP councillor for the Preston Seton Gosford ward, said: "If it is the case that the lorry did roll down the hill then that is a matter for the police to take the appropriate action."

DJ Johnston-Smith, chair of Prestonpans Community Council, said it was "incredibly fortunate" that nobody was injured in this" serious accident" and that the students of Preston Lodge High School were on holiday this week. "This stretch of Gardiner Road is normally busy with young people walking to and from the school," he added. "The Community council is grateful for the speedy attention of local police officers attending the scene and hopes that the damage to properties on the street can be attended to quickly by the vehicle's insurers."

The Honda car that was left damaged in the middle of the road (Image: NQ Staff) A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 11.40am on Tuesday 15 April 2025, police received a report a lorry had collided with three vehicles in Gardiner Crescent, Prestonpans. "The lorry came to a stop after crashing into a garden. There are no reports of any injuries and enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.

"Arrangements will be made to uplift the lorry."

References

^ Possible thefts from gardens in Prestonpans being investigated by police (www.eastlothiancourier.com)