Fish shop owner praises Leeds villagers who helped trace crash driver

A FISH and chip shop owner has praised west Leeds villagers who helped track down a driver who crashed into and badly damaged his £50,000 Audi A7 before fleeing the scene.
Rafael Chandler (left) and his damaged Audi (right)Rafael Chandler (left) and his damaged Audi (right)
Rafael Chandler (left) and his damaged Audi (right)

Rafael Chandler, who runs Croft Street Fisheries in Farsley, posted an appeal for information on the Farsley Village Community Website Facebook group after a van driver ploughed into the six-month-old car parked outside outside his shop.

Father-of-one Mr Candler, 34, posted a photo of the £7,000 damage to his car on Facebook.

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He said the appeal went “viral” with more than 100 comments.

Part of the van’s front wing was left at the scene and Mr Chandler was able to inform users of the Facebook group what to look out for.

One Farsley resident was able to provide CCTV footage of the van travelling through the village shortly before the incident on January 13. And another member of the Facebook group took a photograph of the damaged van parked outside an address in Leeds.

Mr Chandler alerted police and officers seized the van. Police have confirmed a 38-year-old man was reported for summons for failing to stop after a collision, failing to report an accident and driving without insurance.

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Mr Chandler said: “Within a matter of hours the post had gone viral, with lots of information coming forward which allowed us to pinpoint the exact time of the incident, and then lead on to tracing down the actual vehicle and the driver involved.”

He added: “That’s what I love about Farsley, everybody pulls together when something like this happens.”

Mr Chandler plans to donate £500 to the Farsley Village Fund as a way of thanking the community for helping.