Limousine boss claims car shot at on Wearside

May 10 2009 by Coreena Ford, Sunday Sun

A LUXURY car boss claims gun-wielding thugs are taking pot shots at his limos.

Now Barry Jones has declared Hendon in Sunderland a no-go zone, for fear his staff and punters could come to harm.

The 48-year-old, who runs Diamond Limousines, has banned his drivers from going anywhere near the Wearside suburb after a window of one of his 16-seaters was shattered in an unprovoked attack last Sunday.

One of his employees was driving along Commercial Road in the firm’s Ford Excursion Phantom, having just dropped off a wedding party at the Mosque of Sunderland in the city centre, when a window on the passenger side was struck, instantly splintering the glass.

Mr Jones has called for police to investigate but, as no air gun pellet has been found, police say there is no evidence that a crime has actually taken place.

The 48-year-old company boss has run Diamond Limousines for 10 years, offering luxury travel to customers in his fleet of seven stretch limousines and five classic cars.

He said: “This is the first time anything like this has happened to any of our cars.

“We’re sorry, but the safety of my drivers is paramount so we won’t be going through Hendon anymore.”

The driver was unhurt, but Barry says the incident has cost his company, based in Peterlee, County Durham, more than £1000 in damages to the £120,000 US-imported vehicle and lost business. He said: “As soon as it happened the driver got out of the area, then phoned me up to tell me what happened.