Chatteris man calls for action over speeding outside his Wenny Road home

Two Chatteris households have been left counting the costs after a car ploughed off the road during a high speed police chase.

Now Derek Clark, of Wenny Road, is demanding action to halt the speed of vehicles passing his home, which is on a sweeping bend.

It is thought the car was travelling at around 80mph when the driver lost control and ran through a wooden fence held up by reinforced concrete posts on Mr Clark's garden before continuing on through a hedge and into the front of his neighbours home.

"I wondered what on earth it was. I thought it was my chimney collapsing as I'm waiting for it to be repaired. I got out of bed and looked out the window and could see a police car's flashing lights and a black car coming out of the front of my neighbours' house.

"It happened at around 4am on Saturday and they were asleep in the bedroom above. The driver managed to get out and sat on the side of the road for a while. He was lucky he wasn't killed," said Mr Clark, who has now put up a sign calling for action by authorities on the speed vehicles travel along Wenny Road.

He said: "Obviously this was different because he was being chased by the police, but this isn't the first time this has happened. I had someone hit the front of my house in 2007 and I had to have all new brick work.

"The fence has been knocked down before. This has been going on for years. In fact my grandmother was hit by a cyclist who lost control on the bend and she suffered a broken leg and that was about 80 years ago. People drive much too fast along here. There is only one 30mph sign and that is as you come off the by-pass.

"I want to see something done to force people to slow down. There is talk of a flashing sign, but it would be good to have something like bollards put up to give our properties a bit of protection," said Mr Clark, whose family have owned his home for three generations.

A police spokesman said: "At about 4am on Saturday (August 18) officers pursued a vehicle in Wenny Road, Chatteris after it had failed to stop.

"The vehicle, a BMW, left the road and collided with a house. A man in his 30s from Chatteris was arrested on suspicion of taking a motor vehicle without consent, dangerous driving, failing to stop, driving whilst unfit through drugs and burglary. He has been released on bail."