A SECOND car has been written off in the space of just over a week on what residents fear is becoming a dangerous rat run in Swindon.

Last week Paula Burchall’s car was crashed into and wrecked while it was parked outside her home in Ermin Street. Then on Wednesday evening, her neighbour Dave Smith’s car was hit.

A Vauxhall being driven from the Oxford Road roundabout collided with the parked Volvo estate shortly before 7pm, shunting it several yards back back into another neighbour’s car. The driver was unhurt.

Dave said: “I went out the front and there was my car on the path.”

“It is terrible down here. Cars are speeding, no one is giving way. There is nowhere else to park. Everybody has the same idea so where do you go?”

Mr Smith, who has lived there for 20 years, said there had always been speeding, but the bridge closure had worsened the problem.

“I cannot understand why they took away the speed bumps. There was a flashing speed limit sign but it’s on more than it’s off,” he said.

“That’s four cars down this road that have been hit.”

Paula’s partner John Peirce said they were getting ready to take her daughter Devon out to a weekly disco when it happened.

“There was an almighty bang, followed by a second bang and car alarms,” he said.

Last week Paula told the Advertiser that problems in the street had worsened since the Stratton Green railway bridge was closed in November for replacement.

Although not part of an official diversion, Ermin Street was seeing much more traffic.

What was worse, drivers were being verbally abusive when they had to to wait a few moments for residents to park.

Since the first crash Paula has been too nervous to park her courtesy car outside her home in case it is hit.

She and her neighbours are now pushing for traffic calming measures, which were taken out when the road was resurfaced, to be reinstalled.

John said: “My concern now is that because there are no cars parked outside and it is almost half a mile of straight road, no one is going to stick to the 30mph limit.”

He added: “The police blocked the road to recover the vehicles and they were getting abuse from motorists who were waiting. That is what we have been dealing with for the past few weeks.”

Last week the council explained the decision not to reinstate the speed bumps was made after public consultation.

Yesterday a spokesman said police records of accidents involving injuries were used to assess sites for traffic calming measures and in the three years to August last year only two slight injuries were caused.

“An injury record at this low level, coupled with speed survey results that show that the 30mph speed limit is being observed by most drivers, wouldn’t justify reinstallation given the costs and the likely benefits.”

The bridge has been closed as part of Network Rail’s electrification programme and a temporary diversion is operating using Drakes Way, Ocotal Way, Cirencester Way and Bridge End.

It is expected to reopen at the end of February.