Call for action after house twice hit by cars

Residents in an area of Eastbourne are calling for action to be taken after a house was hit by a car for the second time in five months.

In August, a car went through the side of the house in Tideswell Road, opposite The Beacon shopping centre car park, and another car hit the building on Sunday.

Paul Hill, who has owned the property for 18 months and rents it out, says: "Without a crash barrier how the hell am I going to get insurance now?"

East Sussex County Council (ESCC) said it was considering if any additional highway measures were needed.

Mr Hill says he is concerned about the wellbeing of pedestrians who may be using the pavement if another crash happens and is calling for a crash barrier to be installed.

"It's blatantly obvious what should happen to protect everybody," he said.

The property has been empty since the crash in August.

Mr Hill said: "How the hell can I rent this when a car might come through the wall?"

Mr Hill said he had been in contact with local MP, Josh Babarinde, about the crashes, which he said had given him sleepless nights.

The Lib Dem MP for Eastbourne, who called for action after the crash in August, said: "How many more accidents will it take for ESCC to listen and take decisive action?"

Devlatta Patel, who owns a home on the same road, says she is concerned the crashes have affected her property's price.

She said: "I'm scared to live there. I'm trying to sell my property."

Laura Morrow, who has lived near the house for 12 years, says she thinks there have been at about six crashes since she moved in.

Ms Morrow, who heard the crashes from her home, said the one in August was "horrific".

"Someone has got to do something or else someone's going to get killed," she said.

Sussex Police said they were treating the incident as a "minor collision" and were not appealing for any further information.

An East Sussex County Council spokesperson said: "We are aware of the concerns raised about this section of road.

"We have now received further details of the latest incident from Sussex Police, and are assessing the circumstances around this and the previous incidents to consider if any additional highway measures are appropriate."

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