Collier Row resident fears ‘terrible accident’ after previous crashes

A paramedic has said he fears a “terrible accident” will happen in the road he lives on due to speeding vehicles.

Barry Scott, a paramedic of three years living on Faircross Avenue in Collier Row, felt people, including school children, are in danger due a lack of speeding enforcement on his road.

Children from nearby Rise Park and Bower Park academies use the road daily, Barry said.

“I just see a terrible accident waiting to happen,” he said. “It’s the worst it’s ever been – people whizz up and down the road, breaking the speed limit.

“I have [already] been to several accidents at either end of the road which have been fairly serious with people taken to hospital,” he said.

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Barry, who has lived on the street since 1998, also criticised Havering Council over proposals to remove width restriction barriers that deter large vehicles.

He claimed the council had not properly consulted residents and had merely put up a notice.

A notice put up by Havering Council announcing plans to remove width restrictions (Image: Barry Scott)

John Stone, a fellow Faircross Avenue resident, also claimed he had not been consulted on plans to replace the barriers with a camera that would fine vehicles exceeding a 7.5 tonne limit.

“It is only going to pick out lorries over that limit,” John said. “It is not going to stop other traffic.”

In April 2022, John said a car crashed into his back garden and the year prior another car smashed part of the front.

A car drove into his back garden last April, said John (Image: John Stone)

A large Mercedes crashed into his front garden in 2021, said John. (Image: John Stone)

Faircross Avenue has a speed limit of 30 miles per hour, said Barry, but he claims vehicles often exceed that.

Terry Smith, who lives next to the current barriers on the road, said mounting traffic had made his life difficult.

“The traffic through this road is unbelievable,” said Terry, who has lived there for 46 years. “I go out at 6am and I have to wait to get off my own drive because there’s cars.

“We’ve got trucks doing three-point turns.”

Terry added that the council should have placed the barriers at the bottom of Faircross Avenue instead, but claimed they ignored residents’ advice.

Havering Council has been approached for comment.