Car almost hits house after crashes on 'lethal' roundabout

The roundabout for Woods Avenue, Travellers Lane and Oxlease Drive has been the scene of a number of incidents in recent years, including a concerning crashes that have seen vehicles just miss the nearby houses.

Tony Clark witnessed a car almost career into his kitchen earlier this month, and although his neighbour's porch was hit in another incident, they too had a lucky escape, as a tree stopped the vehicle from crashing into their living room.

The car that almost crashed into Tony Clark's kitchen. (Image: Tony Clark)

That accident alone caused £10,000 worth of damage to the Oxlease Drive property, and Tony has had enough, telling the Welwyn Hatfield Times that barriers need to be installed to stop further crashes.

"The number of crashes in the last four years is absolutely ridiculous," he said.

"We had a car that nearly came through our kitchen. We had another incident where my neighbour's porch was hit by a car, and if it hadn't have hit a tree it would have gone into their living room. It caused more than £10,000 worth of damage.

"I want to get an Armco barrier installed to stop this happening. We've had drink drivers overturn their cars, people run over, it's absolutely ridiculous and that roundabout has become lethal."

After one incident where police were called, Tony claims officers told him that changes would only be made if "someone died".

"I have spoken to the police and they think nothing will be done until someone dies. I've reached out to the council but I've not had any replies," he added.

Kieran Thorpe, Labour Councillor for Hatfield Central, is also calling for change, telling this newspaper: "I was shocked to see the images of the latest accident on this roundabout and also to hear first hand that incidents like these are becoming more common.

"Issues like these are all too often ignored and I understand the frustration and fear felt by residents, both those living locally and everyone who travels through this area which is near to several primary schools.

"Hertfordshire County Council must act swiftly to deal with this issue before someone is seriously hurt or worse. The safety of these residents cannot be ignored."

Damage caused by one of the incidents in Oxlease Drive. (Image: Tony Clark)

When approached for comment, Hertfordshire County Council confirmed that they were aware of the incidents on the roundabout, but were instead focusing on the "most hazardous sites across the county" due to "limited funding".

"We closely monitor where road traffic collisions happen across the county, and we use this information to identify the locations that are a priority for road safety improvements," said a spokesperson for Hertfordshire County Council. 

"Unfortunately, with limited funding available we need to focus our safety improvements on the most hazardous sites across the county, where they will make the most difference.

"Although we are aware that there have been collisions at this location, there are other sites around the county that are higher priority, and we therefore are unable to commit to any investigations at this location.

"Residents may wish to contact their local county councillor, who may be able to explore improvements through their highways locality budget."