Self-isolating Stroud couple had to leave their home after car crash

Robin Deane said he and his wife have been forced out of their home

A couple who were self-isolating have had to leave their home after a car crashed into it.

Robin Deane, 74, said he and his wife Carol, 66, were in the upstairs bedroom when the crash happened on Wednesday night, in a street in the Cashes Green area of Stroud.

He said it sounded "like a bomb had gone off" downstairs.

Police said the vehicle's occupants left the scene, but a man had since come forward to say he was the driver.

The house, in Hyett Road, has been structurally damaged, meaning tenants Mr and Mrs Deane could not get back in.

The crash has 'taken away' the downstairs toilet

"There's no downstairs toilet, it's been taken away," Mr Deane said.

"The supporting wall, supporting the floor upstairs is hanging down.

"There's a big split in the wall. Even the stairs aren't structurally safe because where they come up, it's on that wall."

Mr Deane said Stroud District Council had now provided them with a property nearby in Stonehouse.

He said the couple had been allowed inside their old house for an hour, to collect a few belongings.

The couple have been self-isolating to avoid contracting coronavirus since 27 February because Mr Deane suffers from a medical condition that affects his immune system.

A spokesperson for Gloucestershire police said it was called at about 23:30 BST on 15 April and the vehicle occupants had left the scene.

"Extensive damage was caused to the property and no-one inside the house was physically harmed," they added.

They said a man contacted police on Thursday morning to say he was the driver, after an initial search using the force helicopter failed to locate him.

The man later attended hospital for treatment for injuries which are not believed to be serious, and enquiries are continuing, they added.