THIS is the devastating scene that greeted one Dorset couple who woke to find a van had crashed into their garden.

Russell Mead was startled to find the remnants of a serious crash in the grounds of his home, in Caundle Marsh, near Sherborne, in which two people were injured.

Now, he has written an open letter detailing the incident, and appealing for measures to be introduced to improve the safety of the Bere Lane/Cornford Road crossroads.

His letter follows in full, although we have removed some speculation regardng the crash itelf.

We have also contacted Dorset Council for a response…

“My wife and I had an early wake-up call shortly before 5am on Monday, 21 August, something which kept us busy all day. It was an unpleasant start, and one which we personally found to be quite inconvenient and costly.

The white van you see in the picture is in our garden, which is adjacent to the Bere Lane/Cornford Road crossroads, in Caundle Marsh.

The scene outside the house in Caundle Marsh. Pictures: Russell Mead

The van came to an abrupt stop, having crashed through our boundary fence and landed on top of a raised flower bed, after flattening a mature apple tree.

The driver of the white van hit the yellow car shown below, causing it to roll over several times.

Such was the force of the impact that the yellow car rolled over repeatedly, coming to a stop near to our front gate.

Both drivers were injured and were treated at the scene, and later in hospital.

An ambulance arrived (around) 75 mins after we called the emergency services (yet another meaningless government target missed).

Yellow car man had an injured ankle, a bad cut to his head and windscreen glass imbedded in his face. The driver of the white van had chest injuries and was in equal discomfort.

‘Local’ police officers came from Weymouth and Dorchester and did a very professional job. Once the recovery services finished removing the vehicles, some two and half hours later, the surrounding roads reopened.

Unsurprised by what had just taken place, my wife and I were then left with a lot of clearing up to do.

Just a normal Monday, really.

More seriously, had the accident taken place later the same morning, my wife would have been enjoying tending vegetables in that part of the garden.

Undoubtedly, she would have been injured or, perhaps, even killed.

Which brings me to why I feel I have to write this letter.

My wife and I have lived in our home in Caundle Marsh for almost 10 years. And in that time we have witnessed countless such incidents. For example, only a few weeks prior to this accident, in the late afternoon my wife and a local farmer watched on in utter disbelief as a vehicle went across the crossroads, making no attempt to slow down or stop beforehand.

This time, the vehicle was travelling the opposite way, from Bishops Caundle towards Bishops Down.

These events are not ‘one-offs’, they are the norm.

The signage at this dangerous junction requires vehicles to ‘Give Way’, which is ridiculous and wholly inadequate.

Moreover, many drivers routinely regard the 60mph speed limit on these lanes (where two vehicles often find it difficult to pass) as a target, to be reached in the shortest possible time.

The scene outside the house in Caundle Marsh. Pictures: Russell Mead

I know it is an utterly futile exercise reporting such things, as I have tried before.

The list of excuses from those in authority is well rehearsed: ‘we don’t have the funds’; it’s another agency’s responsibility’; ‘we have to rack up several fatalities before anything can be done.’ etc, etc, etc.

A collective shrug that sees something as elemental as road safety being swept under the carpet; a local government authority in a so-called affluent part of the country that appears so permanently under-funded that it has to treat issues like this as low priority.

Seriously? What kind of society are we living in?

So, if I really believe that this correspondence is a complete waste of time (which I know it to be), why am I bothering?

I am doing so because I want this issue to go on public record.

When there is a fatality at this crossroads, as I believe there will be, unavoidable questions will be asked.

Those who pretend to be in authority and conveniently look the other way when things become difficult will be held to account.

And while the inevitable hand wringing and platitudes over the unnecessary loss of life go on, my wife and I will have clear consciences, knowing we did our best.

In the interest of transparency, I have sent this communication to Dorset Council, the local parish council, the councillor for this ward, the local MP and the editor of the New Blackmore Vale.

However, knowing how strapped for cash these respective agencies are, I politely ask you not to bother with a response. After all, such matters are just an inconvenience and a huge waste of everyone’s time and money, aren’t they?

RUSSELL MEAD