'We saw a car come through the front window of our Black Country home now we fear we'll never return'

A step son and his step-father have been forced out of their 'beloved' Black Country home after a driver smashed into it, leaving it 'beyond repair'

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John Webster, aged 68, was at home in Edenbridge View, Milking Bank with his step-father Frederick Rock on Saturday March 1 when the car ploughed into the window of their house and came into the front room, causing them to fear for their lives.

They managed to escape unhurt but the incident has, John says, left the house unliveable, with permanent damage to its structure and extensive re-building needed inside.

The scene at Edenbridge Crescent on March 1 after the accident

Police, ambulance and the fire service attended the scene and John and neighbours remonstrated with the driver but he ran off and despite his car being impounded, the investigation into the accident appears to have gone silent

John and Frederick, aged 89, have lived in the house for 25 years since it was built and the insurance company have moved them into a hotel in nearby Himley whilst they assess the damage - but they fear it will never be fixed and they will have to moved to a 'like for like' house.

A neighbour crashed into the Gornal home of Fred Rock where he lives with his step son John Webster.
The pair have been living in hotel acommodation ever since and fear they won't be able to move back in. Pictured: John Webster — A neighbour crashed into the Gornal home of Frederick Rock where he lives with his step son John Webster. The pair have been living in hotel accommodation ever since and fear they won't be able to move back in. Pictured: Frederick Rock

The electrics are not working inside the house meaning they can't store any frozen food and John is having to make constant supermarket runs every day from the hotel just so they can eat.

John is a survivor of 12 heart attacks since 1998 and is at the end stage with it - he fears this may send him over the edge and also mean he will be unavailable to look after his elderly step-father who he fears won't survive on his own. His mother, Frederick's wife, died last year.

John said: "I remember the evening vividly there was a loud, thunderous noise outside and suddenly the car came through the bay window and into the house where we have lived happily ever since it was built but probably no more.

Fred and John outside the home which is 'beyond repair' according to John — John Webster (R) and Frederick Rock (L) outside their home in Gornal which a car crashed into last month

"I jumped away from the window and literally sidestepped the car it is lucky I wasn't killed. There is a large visible crack in the front wall from top to bottom and huge structural damage.

"The house appears condemned at this time and I could imagine a whole wall disappearing, It really looks so bad.

"We can't use our home. We are heartbroken. Mum died last year and this was her home, for 24 years until she finally passed away.

"It is very sad to see. Now we are living in poor rented accommodation in a hotel which we hope will change soon but nothing seems to be happening with that. Various builders have come and looked at the property but don't seem to have been able to come up with a solution to fix it."

John is now calling on the police to step up the investigation into who was driving the car, saying he can identify him.

A West Midlands Police spokesman said they were still investigating the incident, commenting: " Anyone with information which could assist our enquiries is asked to get in touch quoting log 4806 of 1 March. "