Woman's home hit by vehicles four times in a year

A woman has asked Cornwall Council to install a railing outside her house to help prevent damage from traffic.

Alexandra Stuart-Brinkley's home in St Day has been hit by vehicles four times in the past year.

The 74-year-old said the most recent incidents included a van smashing her window and a bus reversing into a bollard outside her home.

Ms Stuart-Brinkley said she was living in a "constant anxiety state" waiting for the next impact.

"I'm constantly sitting there waiting for it to happen again. I can't relax," she said.

"I said the time before it last happened that next time it won't be long before they take out one of the bay windows and that's what happened."

The home had previously been lived in by Ms Stuart-Brinkley's parents before she took it over a year ago.

Damage caused to the bay window by the reversing van is being repaired and paid for but Ms Stuart-Brinkley said she would like a 1.2m (4ft) barrier installed around the vulnerable corner of her property.

The existing single bollard was installed by Ms Stuart-Brinkley's mother 15 years ago to try to reduce damage to the house from vehicles.

St Day Parish Council said it supported Ms Stuart-Brinkley's wish to have additional bollards outside her front door but "it is proving difficult to come up with a solution that meets the needs of the householder, pedestrians and vehicles that use that road".

Local residents have identified inconsiderate parking on the narrow village streets as one of the main causes for the issue, leaving larger vehicles with little room to manoeuvre.

Neighbours who spoke to the BBC said they saw the most recent incident, damage to Ms Stuart-Brinkley's bollard, when a bus tried to get around the corner between Fore Street and Church Street.

Go Cornwall Bus said they could find no evidence of this from their CCTV.

Cornwall Council said: "We are in touch with the resident and open to discussing any potential practical solutions beyond the measures already put in place, however, the highways authority doesn't have a responsibility to protect private property. 

"This particular issue will be a matter between the property owner and those causing the damage."

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