Bitterne Road West garden damaged in Southampton crash

Bitterne Road West in Southampton was a scene of devastation after the crash at 6.30pm on Thursday.

A 27-year-old chef, whose wall was destroyed, told the Echo the road is "super dangerous".

The dad said: "I was up putting the kids to bed when I heard what I thought was a HGV driving past, but then I heard glass smash, looked at the window and saw the state of my garden and one car had landed on its side across the fence.

The immediate damages to the chef's front garden Thursday (October 10) night before any attempts to clean up. (Image: Contributed)

"We’re not the homeowners, we’re just renting, so there’s nothing we can claim on."

No-one was arrested in the crash, which left one person with minor injuries.

The chef, who did not want to be named, now wants more speed cameras in the road.

He said: “If you try to pull out of your drive, people look at you like it’s your fault for living here, nobody will move over a lane. I see people flying down on bikes, Range Rovers, boy racers going down."

“There’s one speed camera up the top where there’s no need to slow down until you get right close and our closest crossing is at the bottom of the road by Kwik-Fit."

The state of the chef's front garden the morning after the crash. (Image: Newsquest) Emergency services left the crash site around 10.30pm, with the resident saying police were the last to arrive after hearing the crash from upstairs.

READ MORE: Crash on Bitterne Road West closes road after car flips

The car also destroyed a greenhouse, compost heap and several plant beds in the front garden.

Another resident, a 22-year-old woman, said: "It's not a lot of damages money-wise but it's two years worth of memories gone to dust.

The remains of the chef's children's compost heap in his front garden. (Image: Newsquest)"The kids are always out here, I think without the compost heap being in the way, the car could have come a lot closer and done a lot worse."

The chef is planning to launch his own outdoor catering business, but if payments for the damages have to come out of his pocket, he fears it will slow the development of his new venture.

The step which the chef sits on to smoke in his front garden, which was in the direct path of the car that crashed through his wall. (Image: Newsquest)

Residents have discussed a petition or peaceful protest to demand more speed cameras on the road.

The chef said: “It just needs to change. I smoke on that step - if I was smoking on that step I would’ve been a goner.

“What death has it got to be [to take action on this road]? My kids don't need to be traumatised by seeing me pull a body out of the rubble."

Bitterne Park Councillor Amanda Barnes-Andrew said: ""It's a relief to hear that there were no major injuries in the collision on Bitterne Road West.

"There is already a speed camera in this location to discourage people from speeding, and I've asked that the location is looked at again to see if there are additional traffic calming measuring that can be used to make it harder for people to speed."