Residents of a village blighted by car crashes have renewed their calls for action following a multiple car collision.

Shortly before 10pm on Friday (September 7) a Ford Fiesta came round the corner of the High Road in Thornwood before striking several cars and coming to a rest atop a white Jeep.

People came out of their homes to find a young man bleeding and lying in the road.

He was later taken to hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries.

In his wake he left a trail of destruction including several written-off cars, a family trapped in their home by a vehicle pinned to their front door and a window smashed by flying debris.

Andrew Richardson, a High Road resident and long-term campaigner for traffic calming measures, said: "We heard an almighty bang and went outside. It was a big mess.

"Bricks had flown into the houses.

"One went through a window where a baby sleeps. It is just mad."

Once the shrapnel had been cleared away, the road was reopened at 1am.

What cannot be so easily removed however is a growing feeling amongst Thornwood residents that the village's status as a accident blackspot is not being seriously addressed.

In February this year the residents of the High Road came out in a colourful protest aimed at the council for what they see as inaction and a lack of safety features on the 40mph carriageway.

In the months since there have been numerous crashes, including one which took the life of 34-year-old Paul Edwards, from Epping, on July 12.

His death and the collisions between Meadow View and Woodside are just four of the accidents not included in data released by Essex County Council, which shows 39 crashes in Thornwood since 2015.

With the actual figure likely much higher and fatalities a regular occurrence for years - including 12 year-old Natalie Moran's death in 1992 and 28 year-old Sascha Brand's in 2011 - residents have had enough.

Murad Kutay, of the Thornwood Action Group, said: "The management of safety on roads in and around Thornwood is a disgrace.

"We, the residents of Thornwood, face an unacceptable level of danger every time we endeavour to go about our daily lives or travel to and from work.

"Every day we have to contend with inappropriate speed limits, inadequate footways and dangerous crossings."

The group has highlighted a number of issues it would like to be addressed, such as the 60mph approach to Rye Hill Road which fails to warn drivers of turning vehicles around the corner, and a lack of safe crossing points across Thornwood Village High Street.

The lack of off-street parking on Woodside leading residents to illegally park on pavements and the five different speed limits from Epping to North Weald were also raised as safety concerns.

By addressing these issues, regulating and lowering speed limits and better enforcing the law, the group hopes the rate of accidents will fall.

Mr Kutay, 46, added: "The authorities responsible for managing safety on the roads in and around Thornwood have done nothing to address these long-standing issues.

"Not only have they failed to deal with old problems, but they show no signs of laying effective plans to deal with new ones."

A spokesperson for Essex Highways said proposals to reduce the speed limit and introduce speed-calming measures were being considered by the Epping Forest Local Highway Panel.

They added: "The issue is currently being analysed and tested by design engineers to see what the situation is, including speeds in the area and which measures, if any, are practical and likely to significantly improve the situation.

"The Panel will then consider how to implement any design proposals that may be put forward.”

On Friday a man is his 20s was arrested on suspicion of drink or drug driving and careless driving.