I'm terrified after sixth car crashed into my home

Malia Carty,Nottinghamand
Lauren Monaghan,Local Democracy Reporting Service
News imageBBC A home with part of the roof collapsed on the floor.BBC
A car crashed into Margaret Lawson's home in the early hours of Friday morning

A woman has said she was left "absolutely terrified" after a car crashed into her home for a sixth time.

Margaret Lawson, 87, from Stapleford in Nottinghamshire, was woken in the early hours of Friday morning after a driver travelling in snowy conditions brought by Storm Goretti crashed into her bedroom wall.

She said the driver had avoided a metal crash barrier outside her home - installed several years ago for better safety from vehicles - by "inches".

Nottinghamshire County Council said the recent crash was "concerning", and it was committed to making the spot safer.

News imageLDRS Image of Margaret stood from her window. She has black hair and is wearing a printed scarf.LDRS
Margaret's home has now been hit six times by cars leaving the road at a mini roundabout

The house, where Margaret has lived for 27 years, is on Ilkeston Road, directly adjacent to a junction with a mini roundabout.

In 2009, after the fifth crash, Nottinghamshire County Council put up crash barriers, hi-visibility yellow backed signage, additional road lining and anti-skid surfacing at the junction near Margaret's home.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Margaret said she thought a "terrible bang" had been caused by the storm.

However, she added: "Their car was embedded in here [bedroom wall]. It wasn't the high winds that I was expecting, it was a car in the wall."

She told the LDRS that the carport outside her home was left in pieces all over her driveway, and there were "cracks all over" her bedroom wall from where the car hit.

News imageLDRS A fallen structure from a house with bricks on the floor. The image also shows traffic travelling near mini roundabout which is just yards from the home. LDRS
The damage caused by the crash has been described as a "pretty good mess"

Margaret's daughter, Wendy Brassington, is now calling for further safety measures to be installed at the junction of Coventry Lane and Ilkeston Road.

Wendy, 57, from Mansfield, told the BBC her mother is "very nervous" about living in her home.

"[She is] frightened to go to bed and I'm frightened to wake up to a call from the police that something has happened at the bungalow again," she said.

"Does it take a fatality for someone to admit there's a serious issue here?

"There's substantial damage, its a pretty good mess."

News imageDaughter of the homeowner, Wendy Brassington. She is wearing a cap and a brown coat. She is stood in front of a car port which has been knocked down.
Wendy Brassington wants more safety measures to be installed at the junction

Councillor Richard MacRae, who represents the Stapleford North ward, said "something has got to be done".

He added: "This hasn't just happened once, its happened many times but once is once too many.

"We need to have some conversations to do something, to make the roads safer."

He suggested leftover council funds could be used to fund further safety improvements.

Bert Bingham, cabinet member for transport and environment at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: "We are concerned to learn of the recent collision.

"We fully appreciate how distressing this must be and remain committed to addressing concerns regarding safety in the area.

"Once the police investigation is complete, we will carefully review their findings to determine whether any further improvements can be made to help prevent similar incidents in future."

Nottinghamshire Police confirmed an investigation is under way but said no arrests had been made.

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