Rogue Mercedes jeep driver damages Kensington steps and pavement

A rogue driver has been caught dangerously careering along a footpath and down some steps in a 4x4 through a Kensington street four times in an hour.

The huge Mercedes jeep caused hundreds of pounds of damage to the posh west London street where houses sell for an average of £1.53 million.

It was seen squeezing between bollards, along a footpath and bombing down a set of pedestrian steps as a shortcut to another road.

According to a resident who witnessed the incident, the Mercedes jeep got between five bollards before driving down the steps from Hippodrome Place in Portland Road and on to Walmer Road.

The driver was repeatedly spotted driving on to Walmer Road - four times over a one-hour period, the council said.

Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council fixed the steps within 48 hours, but the damage cost almost £500 to repair.

Broken tiles were left strewn over the wrecked path after the rampage on Sunday at around midnight.

CCTV footage at around 12.30am taken from a nearby resident’s camera showed the heavy Mercedes pass near the entrance to a block of flats in order to fit between the wall and the first bollard.

This is the first time a car has been caught on camera driving over the steps, but residents in the area have complained of collisions and near-misses between mopeds, bikes and pedestrians.

The driver responsible could be slapped with a careless or dangerous driving charge, meaning they could face prosecution and possibly even imprisonment.

If the case does go to court, the council is determined to recover the £472 spent on repairing the footpath and would look to recoup this from the suspect, the authority said.

Councillor Johnny Thalassites, the lead member for environment, planning, and place, described the driving as “senseless”.

He said: “This sort of driving is senseless and has pulled staff and cash away from other road maintenance for a day.

“We need to make the best use of the resources we have to serve our communities, especially as we recover from the effects of the pandemic.

“This is not a good use of our time – I’m just glad officers could get it sorted so quickly.”