British tank crashes into German couple's garden
The Army said a 'mechanical fault' caused the vehicle to veer off the road
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A British tank swerved off the road and crashed into an elderly couple's garden fence in Germany, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.
The armoured Warrior infantry fighting vehicle, which belongs to a nearby military driving school, stopped just before it hit a house owned by Ulrich Tilsner and his wife in Paderborn.
The tank, which is owned by the British Army's Paderborn Garrison, was suffering from a 'mechanical fault' which caused it to veer off the road, the Army said.
Mr Tilsner, 67, from Paderborn, said he had been left "in shock" after seeing the vehicle ploughing through his garden, the BBC reported.
His granddaughter, Stephanie Ney, told German newspaper Neue Westfalische: “My grandfather called me and said, 'I'm a bit late, I have a tank in the garden.'”
She then rushed to her grandparents' house, where she found “a tank in the middle of the hedge and soldiers everywhere, and our dog was barking furiously”.
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defence said that nobody had been injured in the incident, and that it was caused by a technical fault when “something came loose”.
An investigation is under way.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments