FIFTEEN years ago, an elderly Chard man called for measures to stop reckless drivers using his road as a rat run after a wall outside his house was destroyed for the second time in less than a year.
According to residents, this road remains a point of contention, especially as new properties have sprung up since then, and is still described as a rat run after the past incidents.
In March 2010, Michael Sebright, 74 at the time, of Forton Road, found his wall reduced to rubble after a vehicle ploughed into it.
This followed a similar incident in July 2009 when a bus crashed into the 4ft by 7ft structure, causing more than £350 of damage.
Mr Sebright told the News at the time: “I could not believe it had happened again.
“I’d put two large concrete blocks in front of the wall to warn motorists after it was knocked over last year.
“Whoever did it must have been driving at enormous speeds because there is no way they could’ve missed them.”
Mr Sebright, who reported the incident to the police at the time, feared someone would be killed unless action was taken to enforce the 30mph speed limit on the road.
He said: “It’s really getting beyond the pale.
“The driving down here is dreadful – I am sure there is going to be quite a dramatic accident before long, if not a fatality.
“Forton Road may be a convenient little run for motorists, but it has become hazardous for residents.”
A spokesman for the Somerset County Council at the time said: “We have to use our limited budget on traffic calming at those locations where personal collisions occur.
“Our records show that in the last five years there have been no personal injury collisions recorded within the 30mph speed limit residential area of Forton Road.
“It is very unlikely that this would therefore meet the criteria for traffic calming measures.”
Since then the road has faced numerous closures for essential roadworks and there have been numerous discussions of a crucial relief road in Chard, including one back in 2022.
New houses have also sprung up in the Forton Road area, arguably making it more of a rat run than it was fifteen years ago according to residents.
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