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Homeowner pleads for lorries to be banned from village after house hit ‘eight times in a year’

CCTV of one of the lorries that have struck Mark Kilbey's grade II listed cottage. He says it has happened eight times in the past year. (SWNS)
CCTV of one of the lorries that have struck Mark Kilbey's grade II listed cottage. He says it has happened eight times in the past year. (SWNS)

The owner of a Grade II listed cottage wants heavy lorries banned from his village after his home was struck for the eighth time in a year.

The latest collision happened just three hours after workmen had finished repairing damage from the previous collision.

Former detective Mark Kilbey, 57, says he lives in constant fear of lorries smashing into his 16th-century home as they take a sharp turn where his property sits.

Kilbey, who lives with his partner in the house in Wingham, Kent, said: “The builders finished at 5pm and the house was struck again at 8.30pm, it’s a new record.

“I jokingly told the builders to leave the ladders at the side of the house because they’d be back in a few weeks.

Mark Kilbey outside his cottage in Kent. (SWNS)
Mark Kilbey outside his cottage in Kent. (SWNS)

“It turns out it was only a few hours, it took the biscuit.”

He said he bought the house in 2015 and he knew it had been hit before but he didn’t expect it to be as bad as it was.

He added: "My home has been dubbed the most-hit house in the country and I challenge anyone to find one which has suffered like mine, I expected to be living in a rural village, not an industrial park.”

Kilbey reckons the cottage has been hit around 20 times.

Insurance companies representing the lorry companies have paid around £60,000 in house repair costs in five years, according to the former Metropolitan Police investigator.

Kilbey says the only way to prevent future incidents is to force the biggest lorries to take alternative routes.

He said: “I’m not querying the job that lorry drivers have to do, they are following their sat-nav.

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The lorry captured on CCTV. (SWNS)
The lorry captured on CCTV. (SWNS)
CCTV image of a lorry colliding with the cottage. (SWNS)
CCTV image of a lorry colliding with the cottage. (SWNS)
Damage done to the lorry after colliding. (SWNS)
Damage done to the lorry after colliding. (SWNS)

"What I am saying is they don’t need to be turning in a road they don’t fit in, there are other routes they could use.”

Kilbey has fixed large red and yellow hazard signs to the property, despite its heritage classification.

The former Scotland Yard officer has had numerous "fruitless" discussions with local authorities including Kent County Council, Dover District Council, and the local parish council.

Kelby said they did not care about his safety and accused them of being “completely negligent”.

He said: “I've got nowhere with them, they just say they are monitoring the situation, but I think they just consider my property is expendable.

“If it happened once, you would say that it was an incompetent driver, but if it happens 20 times and no action is taken you just think people don’t care.”

Kilbey there was a primary school behind his house and it was only a matter of time before said a child or elderly person will likely be killed by lorries if they are not banned from the lane.

“Frankly I don’t even think that will prompt them to take action, because they fundamentally don’t care,” he said.

Police are prosecuting the latest lorry driver to smash into the home, in addition to handing him three points and a £100-on-the spot fine on Monday.

The property is opposite the entrance to a country road where most of the incidents occur because the bigger lorries are forced to mount the pavement as they turn right.

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Damage to the home of Mark Kilbey after a lorry collided with his cottage. (SWNS)
Damage to the home of Mark Kilbey after a lorry collided with his cottage. (SWNS)

CCTV cameras are now fixed onto the side of the cottage to provide evidence to the lorry drivers’ insurance companies.

Footage from a previous collision in 2018 shows the rear of a large lorry as it turned, swung and hit the building’s guttering, sending debris crashing onto the road.

“It’s not the property’s fault it’s in the wrong place now. It was in the right place in its heyday,” Kilbey said. “But now life’s moved on and the 21st-century doesn’t suit where this house is.”

Kilbey, who is now the director of mental health charity Take-Off and moved out of London for a quiet lifestyle.

A Kent County Council (KCC) spokesman said: "We very much sympathise with Mr Kilbey but unfortunately this is difficult for KCC to resolve as a highways authority.

"In 2018, KCC looked to identify the destinations of the offending vehicles and the HGVs involved were not just driving through the village, these are vehicles making legitimate deliveries to or collections from local businesses.

"Whilst the majority of HGVs using this junction do so without incident, we acknowledge that the errant few are misjudging the turning and causing damage to property and distress to residents.

"There is no possibility of altering the road layout and we have discussed with businesses about re-routing their vehicles where possible”

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