Man escapes horror smash

The accident happened in New Road, Durrington, shortly before 11.10pm on Saturday when a white Austin Montego, heading west, careered across two lanes and ploughed into a blue car parked in front of the house.

Police and firefighters were called after a huge hole appeared in the front of the house when the impact forced the parked car forward into the house. Miraculously, nobody was hurt in the collision.

A council building control officer was called over concerns the house had serious structural damage. Robert Day, who was driving, and a passenger, fled the scene but were arrested by police at nearby Pond Lane recreation ground.

Day, 25, of Whitebeam Road, Durrington, appeared at Worthing Magistrates' Court on Monday charged with driving with excess alcohol, failing to stop after an accident, driving without a licence or insurance. His friend was released without charge.

The court heard that Day's breath test showed he had 78mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35. He was disqualified from driving for 20 months and fined 500. His licence was endorsed and he was also ordered to pay 70 costs. He had pleaded guilty to all the charges.

The accident happened as residents in New Road called for the introduction of traffic-calming measures, including speed cameras.

A mother-of-two said cars regularly sped along the road at well over the 30mph speed limit.

The woman, 39, said: "Our main concern is that cars speed right up late at night and it becomes like a race track. We have a five-year-old son and I'm worried because he wouldn't stand a chance if he stepped out into the road.

She added: "Obviously, sleeping policeman are out of the question because we have a lot of ambulances along here, but something certainly needs to be done before there is a much more serious accident."