Video: Lorry smashes into Christian book shop in Sheffield

Buildings have been evacuated and traffic has been disrupted after a lorry crashed through the window of the CLC Christian bookshop on West Street at around 12.50pm today.

In the aftermath of the crash, employees working in offices above the bookshop were evacuated as the building’s structure has been damaged – and could collapse.

According to eye-witnesses, nobody was injured in the crash and the driver is reportedly recuperating in a shop nearby.

Jeremy Mills, acting manager of CLC Christian Bookshop, said people had been looking through his shop window around two minutes before the lorry ploughed through it.

He said: “It was like one of those slow motion things; I could see what was about to happen. It was a terrifying experience when the lorry crashed through.

“I’m just thankful that nobody was hurt. We had a couple of customers in the shop at the time, but thankfully they were at the other side of the shop.

“There had been two people looking through the window a couple of minutes before it happened.”

Jeremy said the lorry had been parked in the lay-by next to the shop – which is close to the Fear and Loathing burger restaurant and on the opposite the West Street Live pub – when a passing tram driver claimed there was not enough room to pass.

He said the driver attempted to pull slightly further off the road when he lost control of the vehicle.

There is currently a cordon around the affected area and traffic is being diverted along other routes. There are no trams running between city centre and Shalesmoor.

Numerous police and firefighters remain at the scene.

An employee who worked in the offices above CLC said: “We just heard a big bang and the entire building shook.

“We’re all really shocked at what happened – you just don’t expect it.”