THIS was the scene of a crash in a small hamlet near Worcester.

The accident was the latest to occur in the spot on the A38 at Clifton, just south of Kempsey.

One man, Paul Sturgess, says he was just minutes from death following the crash near The Tything.

Mr Sturgess, age 47, was in the house just getting ready to set off to go to work in Droitwich when a car crashed into his and his partner's front garden at 4.50am today, Friday November 6.

The blue Renault Laguna, driven by a 53-year-old man, wrote off a Nissan car owned by Jackie Dunn, Mr Sturgess' partner, and damaged the front of his own Ford Fusion. The driver was unhurt in the crash. He also demolished wrought iron fencing in front of two houses.

It is not known what caused today's crash, but the couple, along with fed-up neighbours say other accidents have been caused by drivers speeding along the stretch of road.

If the crash had been a few minutes later I would have been getting into my car and I would have been killed. There's no doubt about that," said Mr Sturgess.

"This speeding has got to stop now. In the 12 months I have lived here there have been two crashes and I'm told six or seven in the past two years.

"The last one earlier in the year wiped out the bus shelter which has only just been re-built. Neighbours have had their cars written off in the past because vehicles going too fast can't make the corner and I have seen numerous others spin out of control.

"I expect nothing has been done yet to try and cut speed because there hasn't been a death yet. But you can be assured that it's not a case of 'if' there will be a fatality here, it's a case of 'when'," he said.

His partner, Jackie, 48, said this latest incident 'put a tin hat on a really bad year'. She said they were on the beach in Tunisia in summer when a gunman shot several people and were forced to run for their lives and they have suffered family bereavements this year also.

"This latest crash has really upset me because it is down to irresponsible drivers who don't care. I know that road is 40 mph and I drive at that speed but there are always people trying to overtake or drive right up behind you trying to get you to go faster.

"I've lived here for 20 years and I've seen so many accidents and so many near misses. One day someone is going to be killed. We even spent our own money building a drive to get our cars out of the layby but that's not stopped them getting damaged."

Neighbour Richard Parsons whose fence was demolished in this morning's crash, said the road is so dangerous that they fear each time they put their children in the cars to go anywhere.

"We don't let them play at the front of the house because of the risk. Hopefully a campaign can be started to get people to slow down."

Mr Sturgess said one answer would be a mobile speed camera.

"Drivers soon put their brakes on when they saw the police parked here this morning so I think a speed camera is needed.

A spokesman for West Mercia Police said residents with any concerns should first contact their safer neighbour team as they liaise with different partner agencies to deal with road safety.