He’d been complaining about driving in his neighbourhood for months when the hit and run happenedDoorbell footage captured a car driving off from the scene
A man who has been complaining about dangerous driving in his neighbourhood has had his garden wall knocked down in a crash.
The Tiverton resident said he was coming home from a dog walk on Saturday, June 6, to find part of his front garden wall demolished.
After speaking to a neighbour and checking his doorbell footage, he discovered a car had struck the gate, knocking one of the brick pillars down.
He said: “A white Nissan Juke appeared to come at speed over the pavement and slammed into my gate. There are two pillars – they pushed the right hand pillar over the foundation and knocked the pillar on the left. They must have been going a hell of a speed to knock the pillar to the ground.”
Devon and Cornwall Police are investigating and have issued an appeal for information. The force said in a statement: “Police were notified at around 2pm on Saturday, June 6 to reports of a car colliding with a wall on Marley Close in Tiverton before making off from the scene.”
Part of the licence plate and Nissan badge was left behind(Image: Submitted)
The resident said his neighbour heard the crash and called the police. He then shared a post on Facebook and said a few people reportedly saw the same vehicle.
Part of the car was left behind in the crash, including a piece of the number plate and the Nissan badge.
“I’m frustrated because I’ve been trying to raise the issue for almost a year but nothing has been done. It continues to be a problem. I’m lucky I wasn’t in my garden at the time,” he added.
The resident, who moved in three years ago, says there has always been bad driving in the Lea Road area but believed it has gotten worse more recently.
“I was getting fed up with it,” he said.
A brick pillar was knocked clean over in the crash(Image: Submitted)
“It’s a 30mph, residential road. It’s quite long and a bit bendy, and there are no traffic calming measures at all. Cars drive up and down at crazy speeds, sometimes 50 or 60mph. It’s been a problem for a long time. I contacted the council last September and met with a local councillor.
“I raised it with police. They did one speed check during the day, which didn’t pick up very much and it continues to be a problem.”
Devon County Council said it monitored the area following complaints from local residents but says its checks found average speeds were below 30mph.
The resident said: “It’s frustrating because the worse of it is in the evenings, but the speed check was done during the day.
“There are herds of school children that come up and down each day. If it had been at 8.15am or 3.15pm it would have been different.”
Neighbourhood Policing Inspector for Mid Devon Mark Arthurs said: “We are currently seeking the public’s help in identifying the vehicle involved in this case. We are looking for information regarding a white SUV Crossover type vehicle.
Doorbell footage captured a white car driving away from the scene(Image: Submitted)
“We would like those who have CCTV/doorbell cameras and live in the Lea Road area of Tiverton, through to the Longdrag Hill area, to check their footage from Saturday 6 June at around 2pm to see whether they have any footage that could help us. “Anyone with information about a car matching this description being seen recently with significant front-end damage or having been brought in to a local garage for repair should get in touch. “Although it has not been confirmed that speed was a deciding factor in this collision, my local neighbourhood policing team are currently being supported by officers from the safety camera partnership team to address issues around speeding reports in the Tiverton area, which have been recently raised by local councillors. “Anyone who has information about the incident or a vehicle matching this description, being brought in for repair is asked to contact police via 101 or by reporting online quoting 50260148610.”
A spokesperson for Devon County Council said: “Following residents’ concerns, we reviewed this location, including traffic speed surveys.
“The results show that average speeds were below the 30mph limit at two sites along Lea Road. No further action is being taken at this time, however we will continue to monitor the situation.”
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