Florist whose shop was hit by lorry ‘just glad no one was killed’

A florist whose business of over 50 years was struck by a lorry driver who fell ill at the wheel is just glad that no one was killed. Stephen Wharram was celebrating his golden wedding anniversary with wife of 50 years Di at the weekend when a Co-op lorry struck his shop on Northgate in Hessle. Click here for more Hull and East Yorkshire news

Green-fingered Stephen has had his shop for even longer than his marriage, at just over 50 years on Hessle’s main street. But after the collision yesterday afternoon left the building structurally unsafe, he’s now been told it may be months before he’s able to trade again from his shop. Despite this, he’s said he’s simply relieved that the driver escaped with his life and that nobody else was seriously injured.

Emergency services deal with a lorry smash at a florist’s in Hessle (Image: Katie Pugh)

Hull Live understands the lorry driver was taken ill at the wheel when it crashed into the shop’s front on the corner with Tower Hill.

“We’ve been told the building is structurally unsafe so it will be a while before we can go back,” Stephen’s wife Di told Hull Live. “It’s lucky that no one was killed.” Di and Stephen were out shopping on Sunday afternoon when they had the call from a friend in the village to say a lorry had smashed into the shop.

“We’ll be unable to do business from the shop for a few months,” she said.

“I think my husband will be be able to run it from his garage though so we will have to make do. “It’s possible they might have to demolish it, but right now we’re just waiting to find out more. “It’s a very, very old building that dates back a long time.

There’s also a flat above the shop which I believe has been evacuated. “It could have been far, far worse so we’re just glad it wasn’t.” Northgate was closed all Sunday afternoon following the smash and remained closed on Monday morning as emergency services continue to deal with the incident.

A Co-op lorry smashed into a florist’s in Hessle (Image: Katie Pugh)

Di added: “It’s certainly not what we expected on our Golden Anniversary weekend.

“We were celebrating 50 years of marriage on Saturday just before we heard this news. “Stephen was 24 when he opened the shop on Northgate before we married and he’s 75 now, so he’s been there for over 50 years.” The phone number for Stephen’s shop is now being re-routed and customers are being advised business is running as usual online.

Humberside Police has said it’s currently unable to provide a further statement on what happened.

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