Herefordshire grandmother’s fear after car crash in garden

Sue Stead and her husband had a terrifying near-miss when a Hilux four-by-four crashed into their property just three minutes after they had been out feeding the birds.

Pictures show the wreckage left by the car that smashed through Sue Stead’s fence (Image: Sue Stead)

Mrs Stead says this is not the first time a car has crashed into her property, and has even collected badges from several vehicles that have veered off the A4103 Hereford to Worcester road and ploughed into her garden.

“Our home is no longer safe,” she said. “My granddaughter isn’t safe in our garden. Our property is very close to the road and we know very soon we could be killed.”

Sue Stead with badges from vehicles that have crashed into her home (Image: Rob Davies)

Mrs Stead, who lives at Lower Eggleton, is calling for the council to do more to tackle the issue, like marking a bend in the road with chevrons.

She said this was the fifth crash on the road by her home in four years, with the damage to her property apparently totalling almost £20,000.

Data on Crash Map, a website mapping road accidents around the UK, only goes up to 2022, but shows evidence of three crashes near Mrs Stead’s property in 2021 and 2022, one of which is listed as “serious”.

The Hereford Times has also reported on several crashes on the A4103, including a recent crash between a car and a tractor at Fromes Hill^[1] that saw a woman airlifted to hospital with serious injuries.

Police were also called to Lower Eggleton in April when there were two crashes on the same stretch of road^[2] on the same evening.

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Sue Stead and her neighbour Steve Kirby are standing against speeding on the A4103 (Image: Rob Davies)

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Mrs Stead said: “Speeding along this stretch is getting worse. The council have done very little to stop speeding. If we were killed, then the council might install a barrier.

“When an accident happens the driver usually walks away, a tow truck takes the stricken vehicle and leaves two people over 70, one of whom is seriously ill, to clear up the mess free of charge.”

There is no indication that the Hilux that most recently crashed into Mrs Stead’s property had been speeding.

Mrs Stead’s neighbour Steve Kirby said his property boundaries have also been damaged in car crashes, and has joined her plea for the council to do more to fight speeding.

We have approached Herefordshire Council for comment.

References

1. ^{^} recent crash between a car and a tractor at Fromes Hill (www.herefordtimes.com)
2. ^{^} two crashes on the same stretch of road (www.herefordtimes.com)
3. ^{^} clicking here (bit.ly)