FURIOUS Tim Handy is calling for the speed limit to be lowered outside his home after cars smashed into his garden eight times in two years.

The farmer lives near a bend on a 50mph road and blames speeding motorists for taking the turn too quickly and careening out of control.

The latest accident last Friday evening involved a Vauxhall Corsa crashing through a recently-repaired fence and into Mr Handy’s summer house.

Swindon Advertiser:

The 59-year-old, of The Pry in Purton, said: “I’m usually playing with my grandson in the summer house around that time. Luckily I didn’t last week or we would’ve been there when it happened.

“I popped into Swindon to do some shopping and came back to see the hole in my hedge.

“I’ve been here over 50 years and these accidents started 18 months ago.

"This was the worst crash so far. Sometimes they turn 180 degrees or even flip over but this car went straight through.

“The structure of the summer house is gone and, along with the fence.

"It’s going to cost thousands of pounds to repair. I’m on first-name terms with the fence bloke now.

“Luckily, the drivers are left fairly unscathed after the crashes but they all say the same thing – I wasn’t going fast. Well, it’s quite a distance from the road to here.

“Thank God no cars were coming in the other direction when it happened.

"No-one has any patience on the roads now. Everybody’s in such a rush and this road is not suited to the speed people travel along it. It’s total lunacy.

Mr Handy says the crashes are putting him off using his garden.

“I’ve been on to the council about this since the first crash and just wish they were more sympathetic, not just telling me ‘it’s in the system’.”

Attempts to persuade parish councillors and highways officers to change the speed limit or resurface the road have not been successful.Swindon Advertiser:

Mr Handy says he's been told there are apparently not enough properties along the road to require a speed limit reduction.

His friend Gary Kinsey said: “He takes a lot of things in his stride but we need to be proactive about stopping this from happening again.

“He usually laughs it off because no-one’s been injured but it’s only a matter of time before someone gets hurt.

“They normally hit where the bins are so he’s taking his life into his own hands when he takes the rubbish out.

“They often roll and end up on their roof because they’ve turned so fast on the blind bend.

"The traffic has increased because of the new housing estates.”

Swindon Advertiser:

Coun Jacqui Lay said: "I have reported the incidents each time to officers at the council and recently I understand that the road has been retextured to give better grip. 

"Mr Handy tells me that the Highways Officers who have been out have told him they intend to resurface the road but I have not seen confirmation of this.

"I understand from Mr Handy that it seems nearly all the drivers have been young men all driving small cars and I wonder if this is one of the issues in that these smaller cars potentially do not grip a wet road as well as something bigger when going round a bend. 

"There is a 50mph speed limit on the road but of course on a wet day drivers should be driving slower particularly around bends they cannot see around.

"I have put out on my social media sites for drivers to take more care on the rural roads in Purton, particularly as we seem to have more and more traffic using them to circumnavigate around Swindon.

"I have suggested to officers at the council that a reduction in the speed limit might help and possibly additional signage.   The process to have changes however starts with the parish council also supporting something to be done and bought to the Area Board.

"I mentioned the issues around The Pry and suggested to Purton Parish Council’s chairman that this is an issue that needs to be on the list for Purton to bring forward in the future.

"It is a shame that drivers cannot respect the rural roads and realise that there are many hazards besides bends and wet roads, as horses, farm machinery walkers and cyclists all use these roads which drivers seem to think they can speed on."

The issue has been suggested to the Community Area Transport Group which will then decide which highway-related schemes can be funded through the Area Board.

The CATG can have two issues at any one time on the list from each parish and town council in the Community Area of the Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Area Board.