WORRIED residents are living in fear for their lives following a spate of accidents in a Grays street over 18 months.

People living in Clarence Road have seen three cars smash into homes and 15 cars written off or damaged since 2012.

Just last month, a teenage joy rider stole a Range Rover in Ongar before being chased by seven police cars and a helicopter.

He ended up in the road and wrote off two residents’ cars.

Later in the same month, a drink-driver lost control and wrote off another two residents’ cars.

They have now started a campaign, including a 100-name petition, calling for speed bumps to be installed in what some call “Hurricane Alley”.

One resident described how a car careered in through her front wall as she sat on her sofa in her dressing gown watching the TV.

Marion Reavill, 71, said: “I am lucky to be alive. I was just sitting there and all of a sudden a great big lump of the wall came through the window.

“If my head had been four or five inches to the left, it would have been my head that was hit.

“It was terrifying. I still flinch every time I hear a car coming down the road.”

Amanda Dennison, 48, has lost two cars to other people’s driving.

She said: “We desperately need something to happen. Why should the residents have their cars written off by mindless hooligans?”

Residents say they are so used to smashes that when they hear noise on the road they don highvisibility jackets and go out and direct traffic, grab brooms and sweep up the carnage.

Ms Dennison added: “All we are told is that nothing will happen until there is a fatality. How crazy is that? We are trying to prevent a fatality!”

A police spokeswoman added: “If residents are concerned about particular issues, we can use equipment to monitor the speed of traffic before determining the next course of action.”

Council: This is not a ‘blackspot’ area

THURROCK Council said the road wasn’t classified as a “blackspot” area because injuries suffered in the incidents were classified as “slight”.

A spokesman said: “All roads in Thurrock are monitored and prioritised according to the number of accidents.

“The level of accidents in Clarence Road would not lead to an accident remedial scheme as these have been classified as accidents where the injuries were slight.

“This does not put this road into an accident ‘blackspot’ category."