Speeding drivers bring terror to Wigan streets

Joyce and Graham Ratcliffe said they awoke to a “loud bang” outside their home in Beech Hill Lane, Beech Hill.

Just moments earlier, a Fiat Punto lost control as it turned from Baytree Road onto Beech Hill Lane.

After leaving the road, it ploughed into a Renault Kadjar parked outside their home.

The impact was such that it rammed the vehicle into the front of the couple’s house, writing their car off and causing extensive damage to their home.

Residents who witnessed the incident said two possibly three young men had been in the Fiat Punto and all managed to escape, with drinks cans found in the car.

Mrs Ratcliffe, 69, said she had turned her Christmas tree lights off only around an hour after the incident in the early hours of Boxing Day.

Fearing someone will be hurt or seriously injured and calling for something to be done about speeding such as traffic calming measures on what is meant to be a 20mph zone, she said: “I turned the tree lights off at about 10.45pm and went to bed.

“It must have been between 12.15pm and 12.30pm that we heard such a lound bang.

“I came downstairs and you could see that a car had been written off and the front of the house was damaged.

“The radiator had come off and there were big cracks in the wall outside and inside.

“I was lucky that I hadn’t been downstairs at the time.

“The driver must have been doing 80 and there’s always speeding on the road.”

A frightened Mrs Ratcliffe said the couple had only moved from Warrington months previously but were now looking to move back.

She said: “We’re frightened to death that it will happen again and we don’t want to be here.

“Something needs to be done about the speeding and traffic calming measures introduced or them clamping down more on the drivers.”

Her landlord Michael Jennings said he had only months previously finished decorating the house ready for the couple to finish.

He said: “I’d been doing the house up for about 12 months and Covid put a stop to them moving in straight away but they’ve been there about eight months and now want to move back to Warrington where they came from.

“It’s a real shock and I’m glad they’re okay but we’re also talking about £20k to £25k worth of damage and I can’t blame them for wanting to leave after what happened.

“There is a real problem with speeding and action is needed before someone is hurt or killed.”

Michael’s son James, who lives on Beech Hill Lane, said: “There have been cars written off and damaged down here.

“You get cars flying down here at 50 to 60mph even though it’s a 20mph zone.

He added: “I recently spoke to most of the people on Beech Hill Lane and was amazed at how many said they have already contacted the council with no response or action being taken. Most had stories of cars being hit and people that had been knocked over.”

A Wigan Council spokesman said: “There are a number of initiatives we use to encourage motorists to drive safely, including our community speed watch scheme and introducing 20mph speed limits on the majority of our residential streets.

“We would urge motorists to drive safely at all times and to follow speed limits as they are there for a reason.

“Dangerous driving and speeding should be reported to the police who can enforce these offences using their non-emergency telephone number 101.”

More information about the community speed watch scheme can be found by visiting https://www.wigan.gov.uk/Resident/Parking-Roads-Travel/Roads/20mph-speed-limit.aspx