Homeowner calls for safety improvements at junction near Mersham as car smashes into house
05:00, 29 June 2024
A worried homeowner fears someone could be killed after a car ploughed into her property for the second time in less than six months.
Grandmother-of-three Jenny Garrard was upstairs in her four-bed house near Mersham, Ashford, on Wednesday afternoon when she heard an "explosion".
The 59-year-old rushed downstairs to find the driver of a red Toyota Yaris had smashed through the front wall of her home, sending debris across the living room.
Mrs Garrard says Kent County Council (KCC) must now install road signs at the junction of Chequer Tree Farm Road and Colliers Hill, where her unlisted property sits.
It comes after another driver crashed through her garden fence in January, leaving the mother-of-three fearing it is only a matter of time before another incident occurs.
"I heard what sounded like an explosion,” Mrs Garrard said.
“I ran downstairs to find part of a car in my sitting room and then outside to help the driver who was already getting out of the car.
“We phoned the ambulance and police who were here really quickly. There could have been fatalities.”
Mrs Garrard, who has lived in the property for six years, says she has previously raised her concerns over the junction with local councillors.
"There is no stop sign, there is no give way sign, and I need to be safe in my own property," Mrs Garrard said.
“I have been told before that there is not enough money to pay for the signage or painting the road.
"But it’s national speed limit down here and although they have painted ‘slow’ on the road nearby, people go at 60mph around these blind bends."
The driver of the Toyota was taken to the William Harvey Hospital for treatment following the incident at 5pm on Wednesday.
Mrs Garrard's home was boarded up overnight, but she says the crash has "compromised the whole property".
"The house has moved so it will be major work to get it back to how it was prior to 5pm on Wednesday afternoon," she said.
“Luckily there weren’t any fatalities, but the next time there might and we don’t want to get to the stage where this could happen.
"I feel vulnerable - it could have happened at any time. The car just hadn’t stopped at the junction opposite my house.
“It’s very simple to sort out: they need to paint a thick white line on the road and install a sign saying ‘stop’. They also need to change the speed limit.”
In a statement, a KCC spokeswoman said it is waiting to receive details from police about the incident.
“In the event of serious and fatal road crashes, police will put together a report on the details of the incident and carry out investigations to understand possible causes,” she said.
“The report and results of their investigations are then shared with KCC so that we have complete details of the incident.
“We will subsequently undertake further site investigations to establish if there are any highway safety concerns that need to be addressed.
“We have not yet received a report from the police for this incident.”
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