AN accident involving four vehicles brought traffic to a standstill last Thursday morning in Headley Road, Grayshott.
Two of the cars involved narrowly escaped hitting the shopfronts of Blue, the hairdressers, and the Gurkha Durbar restaurant.
A man driving a silver Honda collided with a parked car outside the hairdressers at 10-40 am.
As the driver reversed, his car hit three other vehicles, and drove over a bollard. Hampshire Fire and Rescue, including Grayshott's fire tender, were called to the incident along with police and an ambulance unit. The driver escaped injury.
The accident caused quite a stir in the village.
"I heard this enormous bang and looked out of the window to see an elderly gentleman struggling to control his car," said a witness, who did not wish to be named.
"The engine was racing and I saw his car lurch forward, hit another vehicle parked in front and reverse rapidly over a bollard.
"His vehicle then reversed again into two more cars parked on the other side of the road, shunting one of them, together with his, into our doorway, just missing the shop windows. The poor man looked very dazed."
The road was blocked and traffic was held up while the police brought the incident under control within the hour.
"I'm amazed that no one was injured," said an onlooker. "Grayshott is so busy these days, it's a miracle that there were no pedestrians involved."