A Moray couple have been forced out of their home after a lorry smashed into the side of it as they slept.
A Tesco delivery truck ploughed into two cars on Rothes High Street before crashing into Bob and Isobel Murray’s property at about 2.30am.
Mr Murray, 79, and his 80-year-old wife were woken by the commotion and emergency measures had to be put in place to prevent the corner of their home from collapsing.
The pair were too shaken to speak about the incident, but their son Phillip said they have been left with no clear indication of when it will be safe for them to return home.
Mr Murray jun said: “A lot of neighbours rushed across the street to help after it happened, my parents are a wee bit shaken by it all.
“It is getting to them that they won’t be back in the house for a few days at least.
“This is the kind of thing you don’t want to happen to your parents at any age, but is especially hard when they are 79 and 80.”
The couple are now staying with their son, who works at the Glenallachie whisky distillery and lives in Rothes.
He added: “The main thing is that nobody was hurt, thankfully their bedroom is at the other side of the house.”
The Tesco lorry was heading north on the A941 Elgin to Dufftown road when the accident happened.
The driver was taken to Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin, but it is understood that his injuries are not life-threatening.
It is believed that the damaged Silver Volvo XC 90 and Black Renault Laguna, both belonging to neighbour John Campbell, have been written off.
Efforts were quickly launched to prevent parts of the damaged property from tumbling to the ground in the immediate aftermath, with scaffolding and girders erected around the corner of the house.
A structural architect was called to the scene to asses the extent of the devastation.
The northbound section of the road was blocked, with temporary traffic lights in place until the truck was eventually dismantled and removed from the scene at about 3pm.
Speyside Glenlivet councillor Louise Laing lives in Rothes, and her son was among those called to survey the destruction.
She said: “My son lives nearby and works as a stonemason, so he was helping to put the scaffolding up around the house.
“I used to live next to Mr and Mrs Murray, they must have got a nasty shock and I am thinking of them.”
Local MSP Richard Lochhead vowed to consult police and roads bosses on ways of reducing the flow of heavy vehicles through the village.
He said: “A phenomenal amount of heavy traffic passes through Rothes every day and this horrible accident reminds us of the inherent dangers that such volumes can pose to local residents.
“It is a relief that there were not more injuries, but for a lorry to crash into cars and a family home the middle of the night must have been an huge shock for residents.
“I’m sure the view of some local people will be that it’s not surprising an accident like this has occurred given the traffic volumes.
“Although the exact cause has to be established, I will be speaking to the police and roads authorities about what steps can be taken to address the volume of heavy traffic and to ensure the chances of horrific accidents like this happening again are minimised.”
A spokesman for Tesco said the firm was assisting police with inquiries into the incident.
