Sopley home owner Penny Coleman lives in fear of fatal crash after cars hit her cottage

A HOME-OWNER says she is living in fear of a fatal car crash at her 230-year-old country cottage which has been hit twice by vehicles hurtling off the road.

Penny Coleman, who lives in Sopley Farm Buildings, Sopley, has had two cars strike her property in exactly the same place twice in 17 months.

In the last incident the car overturned although both times the drivers only suffered from shock and bruises.

But Ms Coleman is now worried that the next driver will not be so lucky.

She told the A&T: “I literally spend every day worrying about when the next crash will be. It is such a horrible feeling.

“When the last one happened I was actually looking out of my kitchen window when I saw this car coming straight at the house.

“It hit just below the kitchen window, which is exactly where the last vehicle did. The noise is like a bomb going off.

“I rushed out both times to make sure the driver was okay which, luckily, they were.

“But I am sure there is going to be another crash, and this time the person may not just walk away.”

Ms Coleman moved into her home two-and-a-half years ago having “no idea” there were problems with the road – although she has since learned that her neighbours have had a car also go into their house.

The first crash was in August 2021 and the second in January this year.

She has written to Hampshire County Council that the road is “dangerous” but says she was told that unless these is a fatality nothing would be done.

Ms Coleman said: “I first wrote to them in July 2021 saying I thought the road had problems and four weeks later, in August, the first crash happened.

“There is a two-lane roundabout outside my home but if the conditions are wet or icy or the sun is shining brightly, it is easy for a driver to make a mistake and go straight on rather than negotiate the sharp bend.

“Also, if they were speeding they would probably end up going straight on – driving straight into my home.

“What worries me most is if it was a lorry, as my cottage would be totally demolished.”

She has also written to New Forest West MP Sir Desmond Swayne who contacted the relevant authorities on her behalf.

She wrote again following the second crash and said he has promised to raise the problem for her once more.

Ms Coleman said she would like several safety measures implemented at the spot including a one-way layout, 20mph limit or flashing ‘slow down’ signs.

She said: “I have been told by my home insurance company that despite my two claims my premiums will not go up as the situation is not my fault.

“But the thought of having to live with the fear of how many accidents are going to happen in the next 10 years is just awful.”

The A&T has asked HCC for comment.