FATHER’S Day is meant to be a day of relaxation, but for one elderly couple, it was the opposite as they had a car crash into their garden for the second time in a month.

Elizabeth Knight, 89 and her husband Tony, 94, have had their hedges or garden crashed into 13 times over the years.

It has been raised to the police who, with the council, are now looking at how the issue of people driving straight across the junction at Cheese Hill Lane, Norley, just outside of Northwich, can be resolved.

“We can see it at least twice a day without looking for it, people coming up to the junction and going straight across, even if we’re just washing up,” said Elizabeth, known as Betty.

“The previous one, four weeks before the Father’s Day one, they ended up in our pond – a car with a woman and three kids in – they’d gone right through.

“We are very careful where we are outside, if I’m doing any weeding anywhere or anything like that, I’m listening all the time. If I hear traffic coming I’ll go and stand behind the tree or something.

“We are sheltered a bit, but the last one hit our base of the gate post so if we would have been in the gate, we would have been hit. In certain parts it’s safe, but with all these cars whizzing past, it’s a bit frightening.

The Norley garden has been crashed into a number of times

The Norley garden has been crashed into a number of times

Betty – who has lived in the house for 57 years as her husband built it – is cautious about an incident turning into more than a crash with damage to the garden, as they have been told that two people have to die before it can be called an accident blackspot.

“The worst thing is thinking about who is going to get killed, the victims of these accidents. As far as we know, no one has died of injuries from that, but you’re dreading one day someone is going to die.

“It’s terrible that is, imagine if it was a child.

Inspector Steve Griffiths says that the police will look into further measures to make the junction clearer to drivers.

The damage that overshooting the junction has done to the Norley house

The damage that overshooting the junction has done to the Norley house

“We understand the concerns the residents have about these incidents and the prospect of further collisions.

“Both recent cases appear to have been a matter of overshooting the junction.

"The approach to the junction has strips across the carriageway prior to three clearly visible 'give way' warning signs, all with the enhanced bright yellow backing.

"We are going to liaise with the council to see if there are any further measures that can be put in place to make the junction even clearer to drivers.

“Unfortunately, we can’t place mobile camera vans or PCSOs with TruCams on Cheese Hill Lane because the road is narrow and winding and there are no verges for them to be situated safely.

“The matter has been raised to the local beat team, and together with the council, we will look at how the issue could be resolved.

Another image of a car that has gone through the hedge in to the garden

Another image of a car that has gone through the hedge in to the garden

“However, we can’t emphasise enough the importance of drivers being alert when they are behind the wheel – pay attention to your environment for your safety and that of others.”

Betty continued: “It’s sensible what they have said but we’ve been in contact with Chester Highways for years and years, they’ve been out and even while they were standing there, a van came up Cheese Hill Lane and straight across and they were there and they saw it.

“One of the things I have been pressing for is a stop sign instead of a give way and they say it doesn’t warrant it. I was told give way was the correct sign, but if you’re giving way, by the time your car is two, three feet over the line, you’re hit, because you can’t see to the right until you get to the line and you have to creep over."

One of the 13 incidents where I cars has crashed into the hedge or garden over the years

One of the 13 incidents where cars have crashed into the hedge or garden over the years

A Cheshire West and Chester Council spokesman added: “Officers in the council’s highways team will shortly be arranging a meeting to take place on site with members of the local community to discuss their concerns and to determine if there are any additional safety measures that could be considered to those that have already been implemented at this location.

“The council is also liaising with Cheshire Police on this matter in order to provide a collaborative approach to the concerns raised by the local community.”