HALIFAX -- A 51-year-old man is facing impaired driving charges after a car crashed into a cemetery in Midgell, P.E.I. on Monday night.

At 8:10 p.m. on May 10, emergency crews responded to a call that a car that had crashed into the Midgell Cemetery on Route #2.

Police say when they arrived, the male driver of the vehicle had left the scene on foot.

According to police, “it was evident that a small hatchback had crossed the roadway and careened through a six-inch post continuing to strike a few grave stones.”

Police say seven headstones were damaged, some beyond repair, including one that had been in near perfect condition since it was situated in 1937.

According to police, the estimated cost to repair or replace the stones is between $10,000 to $15,000.

A short time later, police were able to locate the driver, a 51-year-old man from Kings County, walking along the Confederation Trail towards St. Peters.

The driver was detained on the scene and subsequently transported to the Montague RCMP Detachment where he provided two samples of his breath above the legal limit.

Police say he was charged with impaired driving and released from custody. He is scheduled to appear in Georgetown Provincial Court at a later date, and was also subject to a 90 day Driving Prohibition and his vehicle was impounded at his expense for 30 days.

“It was very fortunate that no one was injured during this incident. A baseball team that had just finished up a practice in St. Peters were travelling along the highway and their coaches were amongst the first people to have stopped to check on the driver,” Kings District RCMP spokesperson Cst. Ian Allen said in a release.

RCMP asks anyone who suspects an impaired driver to immediately call 911.