House wall collapses on to car in city centre

Published: 06 March 2026
The English Chronicle Desk
The English Chronicle Online

A city centre street remains closed today after a wall collapsed onto a car, partially crushing the vehicle and bringing traffic to a standstill.

Emergency services were called to Thurnham Street in Lancaster on Thursday evening following reports of a structural collapse on the side of the Kwik Fit car park . The wall, which bordered the garage premises, gave way and landed on a customer’s car that had only just completed its MOT inspection .

A Kwik Fit employee who witnessed the aftermath described hearing a loud explosion-like sound. “It sounded like an explosion, now we know it was the rubble landing on top of a car,” he told the Lancaster Guardian . “We had to jack a couple of cars up off the road to get the rubble out from underneath them as the rubble went into the road.”

Remarkably, no injuries have been reported. Lancashire Police confirmed that while the incident caused significant disruption, nobody is thought to have been hurt .

The collapse has forced the closure of several roads in the city centre, with diversions expected to remain in place throughout Friday while structural engineers assess the damaged building .

Thurnham Street remains closed at the junction with George Street, with southbound traffic being diverted via King Street . Marton Street is also closed at the junction with Penny Street, with diversions directing motorists towards George Street .

Police officers remain on scene managing traffic flow, with some diversions contravening normal routes such as bus lanes . Signage is in place to guide motorists, but drivers are being urged to check their routes before setting off and seek alternative routes where possible .

A spokesperson for Lancaster Police said: “We want to let you know that a number of roads in Lancaster will be closed for a while, after we received a report of a partial wall collapse on Thurnham Street. Thankfully, no one is thought to have been injured, but the surrounding roads have been closed for your safety whilst we await the arrival of structural engineers” .

The incident bears similarities to a recent wall collapse in Yonkers, New York, where a 40-foot retaining wall fell onto a car with a driver inside on Wednesday . In that incident, the driver was able to escape and was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries .

Structural engineers are now expected to examine the Lancaster site to determine the cause of the collapse and assess whether any further risks exist. Police have promised to keep the public updated as more information becomes available .

Motorists are advised to avoid the area and plan alternative routes until further notice .

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