DECORATORS were lucky to escape unscathed after a lorry hit the scaffolding they were working from at Ledbury's Top Cross.

The men were busy limewashing the side of Ledbury Books and Maps when an articulated Greg-ory Distribution lorry backed into the scaffolding, pushing it into the wall.

Andie Bishop, of Andie Bishop Decorators, of Ross-on-Wye, was on the bottom lift when the incident happened, at about 1pm on Wednesday.

He said: "It could have been very, very serious. Luckily, the lorry was going slowly, if it had been going fast it could've ripped the scaffolding off. It really shook us up."

The lorry, coming from Worcester Road, attempted to turn left into the Southend but was unable to get round the narrow bend. It reversed and smashed into a traffic light and then the scaffolding.

As traffic through the town ground to a halt, shoppers and workers stopped what they were doing and headed up High Street to see what had happened.

Police arrived and set up a road block at the junction of High Street and Bye Street, directing traffic back and away up Knapp Lane, which resulted in huge tailbacks.

Border Scaffold, of Hereford, was called to remove the scaffolding, only erected that morning. The lorry was finally moved about two hours later.

David Rippe, owner of Ledbury Books and Maps, said the shop and the traffic light had been hit on several occasions by lorries and it was high time that weight restrictions were imposed at Top Cross.

"If the lorry hit the scaffolding, it obviously swept the pavement. If there had been someone on the pavement, it could have been very serious," he said.

"Bollards should be installed on the edge of the pavement from the corner down to the doorway at 1, Worcester Road and the size of lorries turning at the Top Cross restricted accordingly."

Lorries have already been banned from using the New Street turn at Top Cross by Herefordshire Council, after the historic 'house on stilts' was repeatedly struck and damaged.

Ledbury Books and Maps is currently undergoing some renovation work and the limewash was to be the final stage. Mr Rippe said he did not now expect to complete the project until the end of next week.

Laura Morgan, of Border Scaffold, which supplied the scaffolding, said: "It's cost us a lot of money because the tubes are all bent.

"It's also set our deadline back quite a bit as we had to remove all the scaffold and we're going to have to put it all back up again before work can begin."