Watch the shambolic and expensive mistake learner driver made at level crossing

A panicky learner driver made a expensive mistake at a level crossing in Essex, earning herself a one-year ban from the road before she had even passed her test.

Adenike Akingbogun, 44 and from Kemsley, drove onto a level crossing in Purfleet as the barriers were coming down. She then stopped and reversed her vehicle straight through the barrier – and another car.

Basildon Magistrates Court heard that Akingbogun was driving with a valid provisional license and under the supervision of a fully qualified driver on Christmas Eve last year.

However, her car was not displaying L-plates, Kent Online reported.

CCTV footage shows Akingbogun's car ploughing through the barrier and the vehicle parked behind it, causing the bonnet of the second car to crumple and debris to shower the street.

A nearby pedestrian can be seen running away from the collision in fear for their own safety.

The accident not only resulted in damage to the level crossing equipment and both vehicles – it also led to delays on the rail network and on roads in Purfleet.

Akingbogun was banned from driving for a year and fined £420 ($540) and ordered to pay ordered to pay court costs of £85 and victim services of £42.

PC Rob Whyte, from the British Transport Police, said: "This incident sends a clear message to drivers that they must comply with the safety equipment at railway level crossings or they risk endangering their lives, the lives of other road users and passengers on board trains.

"Akingbogun was not a full licence holder and should have been clearly displaying L-plates on her car when driving it on the public highway. It is clear to me that her inexperience on the road contributed to this incident."