Collett Bartley banned for 21 months after crashing into Sydenham Tesco

A woman who crashed a Volkswagen Tiguan into a Tesco Express in Sydenham while over the drink-driving limit has been banned from driving for 21 months. Collett Bartley, 42, was sentenced at Croydon Magistrates' Court on 18 August 2026 after pleading guilty to drink driving and driving while disqualified.

The crash happened at around 11:00 on 10 June 2026 on Kirkdale, outside the supermarket. Police reported that Bartley’s breathalyser reading was 61 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 micrograms. No injuries were reported.

Second offence in eight months

Bartley was already serving a six-month driving ban when she crashed into the Tesco store. That ban had been imposed just two days earlier, on 8 June 2026, following a crash on Woolstone Road in Catford in November 2025.

For the Catford incident, she was found guilty in her absence of driving without due care and attention, failing to stop after a road accident, and failing to report an accident. News Shopper and This Is Local London reported the details of both cases.

Sentence and next steps

Croydon Magistrates' Court handed Bartley a one-year community order, which includes up to 20 days of rehabilitation activity. She was also fined £120. The 21-month driving ban will run from the date of sentencing.

It is unclear whether Bartley will appeal the sentence or if the Tesco Express store has made a claim for damages. The store remains open, and no structural damage was reported in the immediate aftermath.