THE cellar of a Nailsworth pub has collapsed after a driver reversed into the building on Thursday afternoon.

Staff at The Britannia in Cossack Square are now having to bring in smaller barrels after the cellar was declared unsafe by Stroud District Council.

It is believed the elderly driver of the blue Vauxhall Astra accidently put the car into reverse instead of first gear.

He suffered minor injuries to his arms including cuts and bruises but is otherwise alright.

Owner of The Britannia Nick Beardsley was thankful the damage was only to the cellar and not the main building.

He said: “Fortunately the cellar that was damaged and the main pub are completely separate structures and therefore we have not had to put the business on hold.

“However, we have had to reorganise things and move the barrels away from where the cellar collapsed.

“We are also going to have to order in smaller barrels because it will be a struggle to get the large ones through the door.

“This could be a problem for us because we are a very busy pub and it will mean changing the barrels a lot more frequently.”

The cost of the damage to the cellar is currently unknown as Nick is struggling to get hold of a building company that will come and take a look.

“Trying to get a building company to take a look in August is an absolute nightmare,” said Nick who owns a number of pubs around the Stroud District.

“The plan at the moment is to claim on the drivers insurance but we have no idea when we will be able to get it sorted.”