HOMEND resident, David Shotbolt, is getting used to waking up in the middle of the night because his front garden fence and wall has been demolished by a car.

This happens when vehicles shoot the Knapp Lane junction and cross the Homend at speed, heading straight towards his house on the other side.

This rude awakening has now happened four times since 2004, because Mr Shotbolt's house sits directly in front of the notorious junction .

Last Saturday (October 9) the vehicle didn't even stop after it hit the fence and demolished a concrete post, causing hundreds of pounds of damage.

Mr Shotbolt, who said he heard a "thump" in his sleep, was actually awakened this time by an alarmed neighbour ringing his doorbell.

He said: "I should think the car must have been badly damaged. There was a trail of water bending into the road, so that could have been a leaking radiator."

Mr Shotbolt actually found a piece of the car, which he believes is from a Volkswagen.

The incident took place between 11pm and 11.30pm last Saturday.

A police spokesman said: "We were called shortly after 11.45pm on Saturday October 8 to reports of a white car colliding with the fence of a property on The Homend in Ledbury.

"The car, possibly a Volkswagen, left the scene and police ask anyone who witnessed the incident to call them on 101 and quote incident number 896s of 8 October."

Despite the police description of a white car, one neighbour described the car involved as being dark in colour.

Mr Shotbolt is left wondering what can be done to prevent a similar misfortune happening to his fence again.

He said: "What's the solution? The obvious thing would be the make Knapp Lane one way, so cars can't come charging out."

This would mean that the well-known "rat run" between the Worcester Road and The Homend could only be used by cars turning from the Homend to get to the Worcester Road.

Meanwhile, Mr Shotbolt was once again awaiting a visit from his insurers.

"My premium will probably get worse," he said.