A CAR smashed through a wall and into the front garden of a Jaywick home before the driver jumped out and fled from the wreckage.

The Land Rover Freelander mounted the kerb and powered through a garden wall on a bend in Park Square West on Wednesday afternoon.

The impact left bricks scattered across the bungalow’s forecourt and ripped a tree out of the ground.

The driver immediately jumped out of the damaged car and ran down the road.

Howeowner Janet Geddes said: “I was in the front room and heard an awful noise. I thought to myself a car had crashed and looked out – I didn’t expect to see it coming into the front garden.

“It had knocked down the wall and driven into the tree and left a real mess.

“A woman got out and just ran off down the road, and a few people ran after her.

“It’s scary to have anything like this happen.”

The crash happened at about 2.15pm, not far from Frobisher Primary School.

The driver was chased down by neighbours who attempted to make a citizen’s arrest.

They were unsuccessful, but police later arrested a woman in connection with the crash.

Kylie Rathmell, 27, of Rosemary Road, Clacton, has now been charged with failing to stop at the scene of an accident, careless driving, and driving without a licence or insurance.

She was also charged with using a car with dangerous equipment, as the Land Rover had a faulty gearbox and illegal tyres.

She has been released on bail and will appear at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on June 3.

Mrs Geddes said a similar incident has happened once before on the blind bend outside her home.

She added: “We had another car do this about ten years ago.

“We are right on the corner and if we didn’t have the brick wall at the edge of the garden who knows what could have happened.

“It could have driven right into the bungalow.

“People drive around there much too fast sometimes but I’m not sure how this one happened.

“The police removed the car quite quickly. The garden was left in a bit of a state, but it could have been much worse.

“We get a lot of dog walkers going past and if it was a little bit later there would have been a lot of children around.

“It’s just lucky no one was hurt.”