I put stones on the road as a homemade speed bump but was taken to court after the Audi driver alleges it caused £1,200 damage to the car

A GRAN is accused of causing more than £1,000 worth of damage to an Audi with a DIY speed bump.

Andrea Wilkinson installed a homemade barrier – assembled from stone – to stop traffic from passing through her country house.

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But she was charged with a criminal offence and brought before a judge when Amy Leadbeater said she had accidentally driven over rocks, causing £1,200 worth of damage to her Audi AI Sportback.

Wilkinson, 51, created the hump using stones from a dry rock wall opposite her home in the village of Edgworth, near BoltonGreat Manchester.

Former campaigners in the region have asked for a 20mph limit and speed bumps on a stretch of Bury Road – but when their pleas to council highway officials left their ears deaf, Wilkinson posted a message on a local Facebook group saying instead she will make a hump herself.

But two days later, law firm employee Ms. Leadbeater, 25, announced that she had overcome the stones to cope.

Burnley Magistrates Court heard her say the collision with the stones brought her to a stop on the side of the road.

Ms Leadbeater initially paid £44.96 to be redesigned by Audi – but later said she paid an extra £1,200 because the turbo charger was damaged in the explosion.

It is believed that another driver also ran over the ledge but drove away.

Wilkinson initially pleaded guilty to criminal damage, but later changed her plea after Ms. Leadbeater was accused of exaggerating the extent of the damage.

A local farmer also said he witnessed the incident and insisted the 25-year-old did not run over the stones.

It was accepted that Wilkinson had created the ledge illegally, she was cleared of damaging Miss Leadbeater’s car.

It is still debatable whether the stones can cause damage to the turbo charger.

She gave no evidence at trial but an earlier hearing said: ”I’m sorry for what happened – I drank a lot that night but I managed to work it out. “

The incident happened on February 16 last year after Wilkinson became increasingly frustrated with traffic problems following a series of road accidents in the vicinity.

Ms Leadbeater told the hearing: ”I drove home around 10pm. ‘My headlights shined on the stones and I tried to dodge but I passed it. I heard a loud bang and my steering wheel was thrown out of my hand.

”I was going about 25mph at the time and was negotiating around the bends. I stop and resume my hazards because I know I need to move what’s on the way. About two minutes later, the next car sped down the road.

” We waved to prevent another collision and the other car stopped. The stones were scattered across the road and I realized someone had intentionally placed them there.

ERROR IN THE ROAD

” I moved them out of the way to prevent any more from happening. They were so heavy, my sister and I had a hard time moving them. There were three houses nearby and the defendant, her partner and those with her shouted abusive language from their windows.

” We were going to go but then everyone went out of the house and had a discussion that lasted about 20-30 minutes. Most people were completely drunk.

“Andrea was quite aggressive. She was apologizing and then getting aggressive. At one point she admitted to putting stones there.”

Vehicle engineer Adam Hinchcliff, who was called as an expert witness, said: ”I was asked if a turbo could fail while driving over rocks on the road.

“The car doesn’t need any adjustments other than the steering wheel adjustment but this won’t damage the turbocharger.

Upon finding Wilkinson not guilty, JP Stephen Riley said: “The defendant gave no evidence but she agreed that she placed stones in the road.

“We found Amy gave clear, frank and factual evidence, and so did Katie.
“But we found that Mr. Paton gave clear, uncompromising evidence and expert eyewitnesses gave a thorough account of his knowledge.

“We cannot be certain that Miss Leadbeater was driving over the rocks at this time. ”

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