Drivers 'dicing with death' on house crash street

Drivers speeding down a street where several houses have been crashed into are "dicing with death", according to the neighbour of the latest property to be hit.

A man was rescued from a house that partially collapsed in Ninefields in Waltham Abbey, Essex, just before 23:00 BST on Friday, after a car crashed into it.

Data from Essex Highways shows there have been six collisions reported on the road in the last five years.

"It's always a fast road, you always hear cars screeching. But how many more accidents have got to happen?" said resident Lisa Bergin.

"The owner, lucky enough he was upstairs at the time, but he always reads downstairs in the kitchen.

"If he'd have been in the kitchen, he wouldn't have been here. It's lucky no-one died."

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said the resident was rescued via a ladder at the back of the house.

A resident who lives next door to the property said he heard "the screech and a crash and thought, 'not again'."

"We didn't know if my neighbour was dead or not, because the kitchen was destroyed," said the man, who did not want to be identified.

"We went round the back and he came to the window and said he can't get out. The fire brigade had to come and cut the window.

"People are dicing with death. There should be speed bumps here, and the bollards should stretch all the way along the road, then we wouldn't have a problem."

Another local resident, who also did not want to be named, said the situation was "really worrying".

"I can hear cars racing past sometimes," she said.

"You hold your breath."

Crashes taking place on public roads - which are reported to police and in which someone has been injured - are recorded by Essex Highways.

Residents said one of the collisions, which happened five years ago, was similar to the weekend's dramatic incident.

Essex Police said an 18-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of being unfit through drink or drugs, and dangerous driving.

The teenager has been released on police bail and the force appealed for anyone with information, including dashcam footage, to contact officers.

He was taken to hospital for treatment along with a woman for a "precautionary assessment."

A spokesperson for Essex Highways told the BBC it introduced engineering measures at roads if there was a "trend" that needed to be "addressed.

"Our road safety engineering team annually reviews any collisions resulting in personal injury to suggest road safety improvements that will benefit the road most."

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