A LANDLORD has spoken of the moment a runaway lorry crashed into his pub.

Muzo Ozcelik says the Rose and Crown in Edgworth looks like it has been hit by an earthquake.

The front of the pub, in Blackburn Road, was destroyed when a low-loader carrying a large piece of machinery rolled into it.

A section of the road has been closed and a major diversion put in place through Bromley Cross.

Mr Ozcelik, aged 42, who runs the pub with is wife 36-year-old Ayla, said: "I was upstairs and heard a big bang.

"I rushed outside and saw the truck was in the front of the pub. It was a big shock.

"It looked like there had been an earthquake. I feel unlucky but there's not much I can do about it.

"Accidents happen, we'll just have to get back to normal as soon as we can. At least no-one was hurt.

"We will have part of the pub open for the weekend but I'm not sure when we'll be able to open the rest of it."

Around 12 people were in the pub enjoying a lunchtime drink at the time of the incident..

The truck, which was carrying a machine believed to used for laying asphalt, rolled backwards down Bury Road into the seventeenth century building at around 1pm on Wednesday.

When the truck hit the pub the machine slid down the trailer. The accident is believed to have been caused by a failure of the lorry's stabilising pins.

The vehicle was recovered from the scene on Wednesday evening.

Part of the front wall of the pub collapsed when the truck was moved, leaving a large hole.

Mr and Mrs Ozcelik, who are originally from Turkey, have been running the pub for 18 months. They are unsure how much it will cost to carry out repairs, but estimate the bill will run into tens of thousands of pounds.

Janet Hamer, owner of Edgworth post office, said: "It was a real shock. Everyone is just relieved no one was hurt.

"It's going to be a big job to repair and I feel sorry for the people who run it."

Bury Road remains closed from its junction with Bolton Road to just past the pub.

It is not expected to re-open for at least a week and a diversion is in place through Bromley Cross.

Edgworth residents face longer journeys to and from the village while the closure is in place.

An accident investigation is under way.