A retired couple say they haven’t been able to sell their £350,000 village home after SIX cars crashed into their front garden – in just two-and-a-half years.
Tom Wardle, 67, and wife Shirley, 73, are constantly rebuilding their garden wall as vehicles keep ploughing through it – despite living in a 30mph zone.
Six cars have demolished the 15ft long 3ft high garden wall six times between September 2010 and April 13 this year.
The string of unfortunate accidents has cost the couple’s insurers £15,000 and now they are unable to sell their four-bedroom detached house.
Potential buyers were so put off by the accident-prone property, the couple slashed their asking price by £75,000 to £275,000 last year.
But after the latest smash they have given up hope of selling the house and decided to take it off the market altogether.
The couple’s home, in Bretforton, near Evesham, Worcs, is in a 30mph zone but it sits 75 yards from the apex of a sharp bend in the village which is a notorious black spot for drivers.
Retired shipbuilder Tom, who has lived in the house for 12 years, is now demanding the road is resurfaced to improve drivers’ grip as they negotiate the corner.
He said: “These crashes are obviously down to the road deteriorating because this never used to happen before.
“But the council won’t do anything about it. They put a sign up, but people ignore it.
“I need to get this sorted out because the crashes regularly destroy our home, and the council won’t respond to me.
“It’s having a really bad affect on my health and my wife’s health, and it’s just so infuriating to see these cars knocking down my wall all the time.
“Nothing will be done about it until someone dies. There are lots of schoolchildren that walk through here, so something needs to be done desperately.
“Even when cars aren’t speeding they still skid round the bend, so it’s the road surface which isn’t good enough.
“Every year we plant loads of daffodils and dinner plate dalia flowers, and every year they get destroyed.
“We were desperate to sell this house, but it’s just not going to happen, everyone knows about the trouble with it.
“We’ve just given up now and took the house off the market.”
Just months after putting their home on the market for £350,000, a driver smashed into their property on September 29, 2010.
The next crash happened on April 4, 2011.
Builders even had to repair the couple’s wall TWICE in one month after a car first crashed through it on August 4 and then again on August 26 2011.
The latest incident took place on the evening of April 13 when a driver in his early twenties lost control and careered into the couple’s garden.
Tom added: “People round here know how dangerous the road is, so they need to have more respect for my property.
“This young lad the other day was definitely over the speed limit, and he didn’t even show any remorse afterwards.
“Friends in the area told me he was on Facebook and Twitter afterwards laughing about it.
“It’s no laughing matter.”
Jon Fraser, Worcestershire County Council’s Highways Manager, said: “We have taken Mr Wardle’s concerns very seriously and last year speed and skid resistance tests resulted in a permanent speed activated sign being installed at the bend on Bretforton Main Street.
“Following the recent incident, the county highways’ inspectors will carry out a further assessment of the road surface which may have deteriorated over the winter months.
“We will also liaise with West Mercia Police with the aim of increasing enforcement on site.”
