A man drives a mechanical digger through the front of the Travelodge hotel in Edge Lane, Liverpool. Photo / AP
A man drives a mechanical digger through the front of the Travelodge hotel in Edge Lane, Liverpool. Photo / AP
A mechanical digger driver who went on a rampage at a UK hotel over an unpaid debt has been left red-faced after discovering he was in fact paid by the company.
The driver, known has John, drove into the reception area of the Travelodge hotel at Liverpool Innovation Park shortly before 3pm Monday.
Footage of the destruction, that has since gone viral online, shows the digger mounting the steps in front of the entrance before bursting through the doors and into the reception area.
A view showing the damage caused by the mechanical digger. Photo / AP
Once inside the reception of the hotel, the digger then proceeds to crash into walls and the front desk as workers cheer him on.
Merseyside Police were called to the scene but the driver had already left and ran from the area.
Police said a man had been located and would be interviewed as part of the investigation.
The driver claimed his wages had not been deposited into his account on Friday, however co-workers alleged there had been a glitch and the money did not arrive until Monday morning.
One worker at the site told The Sun: "The money was supposed to go into his bank on Friday.
"But there was some kind of glitch and it didn't go in until Monday.
"He didn't check his bank account and didn't realise he'd actually been paid. That's why he went mental and wrecked the place."
Ceiling fixer Samuel White, 24, spoke to the BBC and described the man, who had claimed to be owed about £600 ($1150), as "some idiot in a mini digger" who "decided to drive through the middle of the building".
He said the destruction went on for "a good 20 or 30 minutes" and had left workers "gobsmacked".
"The site manager was running around like a headless chicken," he added.
Triton Construction said the man had been employed by a sub-contractor, MF Construction.
"It is alleged that the labourer couldn't track down the owner of MF Construction and he became increasingly frustrated [so] took it upon himself to drive a small mini excavator through the front entrance screen of the hotel," the Triton Construction spokesman added.
The driver goes on a rampage. Photo / AP
Meanwhile, members of the public supported the digger driver by donating to a crowdfund page to help the man cover what he is owed and any legal fees that may arise as a result of the damage.
More than 500 people have donated to the driver via GoFundMe, raising in excess of £5000 ($9500) in two days.
