Residents whose house was badly damaged by a car which rolled down a hill and smashed through the house wall have turned to their MP in a last ditch attempt for more protection.

John and Dianne Dracup, who live in Bracken Edge, Thorpe Edge, have asked Imran Hussain MP to try and get bollards installed by Incommunities at York House to stop cars being parked on the grass hill.

Bracken Edge is at the bottom of the hill, which is land owned by Incommunities, and York House, also owned by Incommunities, is at the top of the hill, with cars parked behind it.

In August 2016, a car rolled down the hill into the back garden of their house - which is not an Incommunities property - and smashed into their living room, damaging the walls and French windows.

Incommunities said it did not have the budget to cordon off the land at the time, but knee-high fencing was installed in March 2016, and there have been no incidents since.

Mr Hussain said the Dracups were “deeply distressed” by the incident, and criticised Incommunities for “refusing to take any action to prevent it from being repeated and to ensure the safety of residents”.

Mr Hussain said: “I am deeply troubled that despite being made aware of the danger and the possibility this could happen again, Incommunities have refused to take any action to cordon off and secure the hill.

“They are responsible for it, and they are ignoring the residents’ concerns.

“While no one was hurt when the car crashed into the Dracup’s home, it is clear to see that had they been home or had the car hurtled into the street where children playing instead, there could have been serious injuries or even fatalities.

“I am shocked that Incommunities are refusing to take action to safeguard against such an incident happening again and ensure the safety of residents they are putting at risk.”

An Incommunities spokesperson said: “As soon as we were made aware of this serious incident by the owner occupiers of the damaged property we conducted a site visit along with another local councillor looking into the feasibility of fencing around this area. Due to the size of land, the cost to complete these works at the time would have been in excess of £20,000 and both Incommunities and Bradford Council had no alternative funding to carry this out.

“However, in the interests of the safety of our residents, we were able to install knee-high fencing on a prioritised section of land by the bend at Bracken Edge and Hawthorn Drive, secured through a small pot of money from a Council Ward Officer. Since 2016, there have been no further reported incidents of cars on this land, either to ourselves, the Council or the Police."

"We continue to work closely with local Multi Ward Partnerships and the Police to monitor the area and will keep under review.”