Salisbury Cathedral: 'Drink driver' demolishes 700-year-old Harnham Gate

An historic 700-year-old gate outside a cathedral has been demolished after it was smashed into by an alleged drink driver.

The Grade I listed Harnham Gate at Salisbury Cathedral was hit by a white van at around 2am on Saturday.

Cathedral officials have said the repairs could prove costly and take months to complete.

The wooden gates are believed to be about 80 years old, while the stone work around them dates back as far as the 14th century.

The Cathedral's clerk of works Gary Price said he was bitterly disappointed to find the gates hanging off their hinges.

He said: "The gates and the stone work are very old and it will take a lot of work to fix them.

"When I first heard about the gate I thought that someone had maybe just knocked into them.

"But when I got there and saw for myself I was shocked - I wasn't expecting to the see the carnage that I did and the gates hanging off their hinges.