Moment drivers repeatedly smash into bollards too slim for cars - as fed-up homeowner calls for slimmed-down road to be widened

Published: 10:09, 10 July 2026 | Updated: 10:18, 10 July 2026 Ring doorbell footage shows drivers repeatedly crashing into bollards outside a man's home as calls have been made for the slimmed-down road to be widened. A width restriction has been in place on Woodmere Avenue in Watford, Hertfordshire for years to prevent lorry drivers using it as a rat run. But, despite it being widened in recent years, motorists are still falling foul - with one car crashing as recently as last weekend. Resident Tim Vigor, who has lived there for 30 years, says cars have rolled over, lost their wing mirrors, had their tyres come off, and some have even got stuck between the bollards. With his house directly overlooking the restriction, Tim's CCTV and doorbell cameras have caught hundreds of incidents across the years. The 57-year-old said: 'There are hundreds of videos, and those are just the ones that I have been indoors for. 'It has just been chaos. The people who are responsible for it are just not interested. They don't care. I just don't think they will ever do anything about it. 'It has just been one thing after another.' CCTV shows cars repeatedly crashing into dangerous bollards in Woodmere Avenue in Watford The bollards have changed a few times over the years, but some form of width restriction has been in place for over a decade to prevent lorries using it as a rat run Tim claims that across a period of ten years there were at least two accidents every single day on the road between the A41 and Bushey Mill Lane. One clip shows a car fully rolling over with pieces of debris flying across Tim's driveway. Another shows a grey car being thrown onto its side, with the bollard itself going through the window and shattering it completely. He says there have been fewer accidents at the spot since 2022, when Hertfordshire County Council redesigned the layout to try and overcome the problem. However, with two crashes that he has witnessed in the last month, the problem is still far from solved. The latest CCTV clip from July 4 shows a blue 4x4 smacking into the restriction, sending half of the car flying upwards - almost tipping over. The incidents have repeatedly damaged Tim's wall and left broken glass and car pieces strewn across his driveway. He said: 'There was multiple accidents every single day for ten years. It was at least one big one every day. It was absolutely crazy. Resident Tim Vigor, who has lived there for 30 years, says cars have rolled over, lost their wing mirrors, had tyres come off, and some have even gotten stuck between the bollards Tim's CCTV and doorbell cameras have caught hundreds of incidents across the years 'Over the years it has probably cost millions of pounds worth of damage to vehicles. It has cost thousands and thousands a week over a ten-year period. 'We wrote a car off every single week for ten years, and I am not exaggerating that.' Last June saw an ANPR system introduced to stop motorists using the bus lane to get around the restriction. Tim believes this camera should be used in place of the bollards to stop lorries passing through, issuing anyone who does with a ticket instead. However, he says that despite speaking with MPs, he has been told the bollards will not be removed. When he moved in there was one post on either side of the road, which he said worked fine until they dug it up with no consultation and added the new ones. Tim believes that neighbours should have been consulted before this decision was made. He said: 'I should be able to have some sort of say in what they put outside my house because that is not how it was when I moved in. 'They won't take any interest until it kills someone. They will not admit liability.' Hertfordshire County Council said: 'Since the restrictions at this site were altered in 2024/25 and an ANPR camera installed to stop drivers using the bus gate the number of accidents at this site have decreased dramatically. 'We would urge all motorists to follow the signage in place and drive carefully through the restrictions.'