A VAN ploughed through a village pub’s fence, ruining �1,000 of Christmas decorations during the wintry weather.

But it could have been much worse according to Ian Hartley, landlord of The Sun Inn, in Lemsford.

He was furious about a “lack of salt on the road” – despite the county council claiming it was gritted 14 times in the space of six days.

The smash, which involved a red Ford Transit van, happened at 11.20am on December 22, damaging the lights and part of the fence.

The road is classed as a ‘Priority One, Primary Road’ by Herts Highways – meaning it’s a precautionary salting route. A Herts Highways spokeswoman said gritters were out during the early hours on that day and residents could find out exactly where and when the workers had been out via www.hertsdirect.org

For more on this see this week’s Welwyn Hatfield Times.