Italian tourist gets £1,800 bill as Wales holiday turns into nightmare

Maria Bandini was queueing on the M4 in a rented car when disaster struck

18:37, 07 Jan 2026

An Italian woman's holiday in Wales was marred by a "hit and run" that left her with a GBP1,800 bill. Maria Bandini was at a standstill in an M4 queue near Newport[1] when a van driver crashed into the back of her rental car and then fled, she claims.

The accident happened at around 5.30pm on December 27 on the M4[2] westbound between junction 24 A449 (Coldra) and junction 25A A4042 (Newport / Cwmbran). After WalesOnline reported on the ensuing gridlock[3], we were contacted by Ms Bandini.

The 44-year-old estate agent, from Lucca in Tuscany, told us she had flown into Bristol Airport and rented a Citroen C4 before heading towards Pembrokeshire[4] where she would be visiting family.

After her journey was curtailed by the crash, she was unable to see the registration number of the other driver, who quickly drove off the motorway at the nearby junction 25, she said.

This led to car rental company Enterprise holding Ms Bandini liable for the deep dents to the rear of the Citroen - and charging her GBP1,800.

Gwent Police[5] says it is making CCTV enquiries to identify the van driver, while Ms Bandini is appealing for information that could help trace him so she can get a refund.

"I am 100% not guilty of this accident," she said. "I was stationary at a safe distance from the car in front of me and I do not understand why I have to pay for someone else's fault."

She was "in shock" after the crash but told us she still loves Wales, where she has had many holidays and as a youngster would help out at Tenby's Five Arches when her aunt ran the pub.

Ms Bandini, whose boyfriend Alberto was in the passenger seat at the time of the crash, said they were queueing in the fast lane when a light-coloured van - possibly a Volkswagen - ploughed into the back of the Citroen.

"The van driver was going quite fast and he didn't realise we were queueing," said Ms Bandini. "He crashed into us and our airbags went off.

It seemed like there was white smoke in our car but I think it was dust from the airbag.

"The van driver walked over and said we should move the car. He was quite pushy about it. I was not so sure about moving it and I told him we were calling police.

As soon as he heard that, he went back to the van and drove away.

"It was bad luck that he had an easy exit off the motorway. The queue had started moving again and he was able to drive across all the lanes. The front of his van was badly damaged.

There was liquid running down the road from it."

Still in shock, Ms Bandini and her partner were unable to read the van's number plate. After police arrived they escorted the couple off the motorway and Enterprise picked up the car, which had sustained damage to the rear. The AA dropped them off to Ms Bandini's family in the Pembrokeshire village of St Florence.

Ms Bandini described the van driver as a white man in his 40s with short, light-coloured hair and stubble.

There was a younger man in the van who did not come out, she said.

In an email Enterprise told Ms Bandini she would be charged for the damage because "we cannot obtain [the van driver's] insurance details without the registration number of the vehicle that caused the damage".

A spokeswoman for the firm added in a statement to WalesOnline: "We've been in close contact with the customer following this incident. Until a third party is identified we're unable to recover any costs for the damages.

"In the meantime we'll work with the customer and all involved parties to help identify the third party and assist the customer. As outlined in the rental agreement, the customer remains liable for the excess."

A Gwent Police spokeswoman said: "We received a report of a road traffic collision on the M4 eastbound at junction 25, after a car was reportedly involved in a collision with another vehicle, which subsequently left the scene.

"Officers attended alongside Welsh Government[6] traffic officers to assist with safely moving the car to the roadside.

No serious injuries were reported at the scene and enquiries continue to identify the driver of the other vehicle."

If you have any information that could help, email us at [email protected] and we will pass it on to Ms Bandini.

References

1. ^ Newport (www.walesonline.co.uk)
2. ^ the M4 (www.walesonline.co.uk)
3. ^ ensuing gridlock (www.walesonline.co.uk)
4. ^ Pembrokeshire (www.walesonline.co.uk)
5. ^ Gwent Police (www.walesonline.co.uk)
6. ^ Welsh Government (www.walesonline.co.uk)