Barsham villagers 'living in fear' after flooding leads to three separate crashes on same night
Video report by ITV News Anglia's Andy Ward
A group of villagers say they are "living in fear" after heavy rainfall on New Year's Eve led to three separate crashes in the space of just a few hours.
A car ploughed into a house in the third of the incidents at Barsham, near Beccles in Suffolk, leaving the driver with serious injuries and significant damage to the property.
Earlier that evening, there were also another two crashes on the B1062 Bungay Road, which has become a notorious blackspot due to flooding.
As well as the crashes on New Year's Eve, there had been similar incidents in March and November.
People living in the village are now pleading for better drainage to try and stop water accumulating at the bottom of the hill every time it rains.
"We're living in fear," local resident Michelle Savage told ITV News Anglia.
"Every time it's flooded, you're kind of waiting for it. It's not just me, it's the whole community - you are waiting for that, and it's the same for the resident who obviously can't return to her house.
"The worst fear is somebody goes into another house and the next resident might not be so lucky."
Mrs Savage said when she heard the car crash into her neighbour's house, she immediately went over to see what had happened.
When she got there, she found her neighbour in the living room - unhurt, but shaken.
The fire service then had to smash their way into the house to get the woman out because the bricks had blocked the door.
Police said that the driver sustained leg and rib injuries which aren't believed to be life-threatening or life-changing.
"When you lose sight of the vehicle, and not know where it's actually ended up, and you then you see it in your neighbour's house - it's incredibly worrying," said Mrs Savage.
"The relief when she responded to me - I can't quite explain how I felt."
In a statement, Suffolk Highways told ITV News Anglia that they put warning signs out on the night of the crashes and will now assess whether any works are needed in the future.
"Following heavy rain and subsequent flooding, we were asked by Police to place flood warning boards in this location to warn road users to drive carefully," a spokesperson said.
"After a few hours the area of flooding had reduced. However, we were then advised of a road traffic collision and closed the road, to enable a tanker to clear the standing flood water.
"Our teams will be carrying out an assessment of the drainage system to see if any potential future works are required. We have arranged for the flood boards to remain on site until the problem is resolved."
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