Residents in Rectory Lane in Stevenage’s Old Town have blamed council failures to paint adequate parking lines on their road for a crash this morning when a car came off the road and ploughed through a hedge.

The Comet: A car left the road in Rectory Lane, Stevenage, this morning. Picture: Phil Cooper.A car left the road in Rectory Lane, Stevenage, this morning. Picture: Phil Cooper. (Image: Archant)

Police were called at 10am after a white Chevrolet Captiva left the road, crossed a pavement and went through a hedge – coming to rest with its bonnet poking into someone’s front garden.

Phil Cooper – who lives in the street – said the crash was most likely due to the fact single yellow lines have not been extended far enough along the street, so people park right up to the turning at the end of the road.

He said the car was most likely simply trying to swerve to avoid parked cars and called for Herts County Council to paint double yellow lines on the street.

The Comet: The car ended up in a hedge off Rectory Lane, Stevenage. Picture: Phil CooperThe car ended up in a hedge off Rectory Lane, Stevenage. Picture: Phil Cooper (Image: Archant)

He said: “Now the council have put lots of parking restrictions in near the Lister Hospital, people are parking further and further away and parking in all sorts of places.

“It’s a rat run down here. People use it as a cut through to the Old Town and many people seem to ignore the fact that it’s an advisory 20 mph speed limit.

“It’s a difficult situation and will only get much worse with all of the development planned to the north of Stevenage.”