Armoured tank crashes into garden

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A soldier has apologised to the homeowners after he crashed an eight-tonne tank into a garden fence in a Norfolk village during a driving lesson.

Army officials said that the Spartan Armoured Personnel Carrier, which had 'L' plates fixed to it, left the road in Letheringsett. No one was hurt in the accident.

The driver, who had recently returned from Afghanistan, apologised to house owners Phil and Jayne Jones.

A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said that the soldier was an experienced driver who was learning to drive tracked vehicles such as the Spartan.

Mr Jones, 64, a student accommodation administrator, and his 44-year-old wife, an opera singer, were both at home when the accident happened.

Mr Jones said: "We heard what sounded like a collision on the main road involving a heavy goods vehicle.

"We ran around to investigate and found a military vehicle sitting astride our fence. It's a 5ft wooden fence and I suppose it demolished a section of about 20 metres (65.6ft). The soldiers were a nice bunch of chaps. Like anybody would be, I think they were a little mortified."

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