9:10 am, July 14, 2025
A used car dealership is fighting for its future after a collapsed wall caused an eye-watering £120,000 of damage to stock.
T Bowles Vehicle Sales in Sittingbourne saw 12 vehicles crushed by falling rubble when a boundary wall on the site gave way last week.
A total of 20 cars and vans were damaged in the incident, with a dozen completely written off as a result.
The situation has left owner Tom Bowles fearing for the future of his business and it could now be several months before he will be able to reopen – at the very earliest.
The 30-year-old told KentOnline: ‘It came down on its own and had not been hit by anything.
‘In total 20 cars and vans were damaged. Twelve are right-offs, such as a Ford Fiesta in the corner that had its roof touching its steering wheel after part of the wall landed on it.
‘Eight were damaged from the other cars shunting into the back of them.
‘I might be able to salvage those eight if the insurance pays out. I had two cars that had already been sold damaged as well.’
He added: ‘I’ve been told it will be around six months [before the business can reopen], and just to rebuild it [the wall], I’ve been told two months. So, whether I reopen again, I am not sure.’
The wall which collapsed separated the dealership from a nearby branch of Lidl, which has now been forced to close part of its car park.
CCTV footage from the supermarket confirmed that the wall had given way without any obvious trigger, with Bowles saying: ‘It looked like somebody had lit a bomb on it and exploded it.’
The Dad-0f-one says his ‘heart sank’ when he first saw the damage – with two of the cars affected due to be collected by their new owners over the coming days.
‘I had to ring up both of them to tell them they couldn’t have their cars,’ he added. ‘Altogether, the damage to assets has cost me around £120,000.’
A Lidl spokesman said: ‘Following a partial collapse of a boundary wall in the car park of our Sittingbourne store, a section of the car park has been temporarily closed off as a safety precaution.
‘Thankfully, no one was hurt, and the store remains open and trading as usual.
‘We have contractors on site assessing the situation while we continue to work with all relevant parties. As this is ongoing, we’re unable to provide further details at this stage.’
