HOMEOWNER Lynne Ronaldson is counting the cost after a car smashed through her garden wall at an accident blackspot near Dorchester.

She said the latest collision is the third accident at Hurst Bridge near Moreton in the past month.

And she fears more will follow unless there is action to cut speed on the B3390.

Miss Ronaldson said sections of the wall at Hurst Cottage, next to the listed bridge, have now been demolished three times and the wall is frequently scraped.

And she hopes the latest collision will be the last and that Dorset County Council will bring in more measures to cut the speed that she claims is the main cause of accidents.

She said: "I'd got back from holiday at 3am and was dozing when I heard this huge crash and I knew it was my wall again. So I ended up at 7.30am sweeping up bits of stone and mud - just what I wanted."

She added: "This is a lovely traditional dry-stone wall and now it's lying flattened in my garden. It will have to be repaired by an expert - and that's not cheap. The car has been taken away, but I've got all the hassle to deal with."

Miss Ronaldson said the latest crash followed two other recent accidents at the bridge.

One resulted in a car stranded on the side of Hurst Bridge and pointing nose-down to the river below. The driver, Josie Glen, who escaped through a window, said she had swerved to avoid an oncoming speeding car that did not stop.

Councillors in the four parishes affected by the stretch of road are urging the county council to bring in measures to cut speed. Miss Ronaldson said minor accidents happen every week with serious collisions about four times a year. She added: "But now we've had three in the last month and I'm sure speed is the main cause."

Steve Howard, county council traffic team leader, said improved signing and road markings have now been made at the bridge.

He said: "We've done what we think is going to work best but that may not solve all problems - we are dealing with people who drive at inappropriate speeds and in inconsiderate ways.

"We've been working hard with local residents to come up with solutions. We can't meet everyone's expectations and that bridge is old and a listed structure so we can't do any heavy-duty widening of it."