POLICE are hunting for the driver of a car which crashed into a home in Clacton town centre.
A silver Chevrolet Corvette smashed into the building, at the junction of Rosemary Road and Rosemary Crescent, at about 7.30pm on Sunday, June 14.
Emergency services, including Essex Police and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, were called to the scene, opposite the former Spice Village restaurant.
The collision left serious damage to the corner of the building, where a stairwell is situated, and the vehicle.
The scene was cordoned off after fears were raised over the safety of the building.
The car was removed shortly after midnight and the road, which had been closed from Beach Road, was later reopened.
- Smash - a car crashed into a building in Rosemary Road, Clacton.
A spokesman for Essex Police said: "Officers are appealing for information after a car collided with a block of flats in Clacton last night.
"Thankfully, no residents of the building were harmed.
"We were called to Rosemary Road shortly after 7.30pm.
"The driver of the silver Chevrolet Corvette left the scene on foot in the direction of the town.
"We conducted a thorough search of the area and enquiries are ongoing to locate the man."
The building was boarded up after the crash and part of pavement has been fenced off.
We are currently on scene of an RTC at Rosemary Road #Clactononsea The road will be closed for sometime until we are satisfied the building is safe. Driver is outstanding and we are making enquiries to locate them. pic.twitter.com/exiXtgDvmd
— Pc Nathan Bright (@PcNathanBright1) June 14, 2020
The building was previously used for car sales but was converted into a residential unit more than ten years ago.
One nearby resident said she was shocked to see the damage left to the building.
She said: "I live nearby and heard a noise - it was quite loud.
"By the time I got outside no-one was here.
"The side of the building had come out after the crash.
"I don't know if anyone lives there or if anyone was home at the time."
- Aftermath - damage was left to the corner of the property.
Residents in Rosemary Crescent complained in 2017 that the back yard of the former Spice Village restaurant, which is visible from the main road, had become a dumping ground and that squatters had broken into the property.
Enforcement action was taken to clear up the site following an article in the Gazette.
Residents had also complained that there had been an issue with drug users and dealers using Rosemary Crescent to carry out deals.
But residents reported in 2018 that the problem had disappeared following a police operation clamping down on a drugs gang.
Witnesses or anyone with information about the crash should call Essex Police on 101.
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