A pensioner was sitting on the sofa watching TV when she was suddenly thrown across the room by the impact of a van smashing into her house.

Wendy Smith, 80, was left on the floor covered in shattered glass after the terrifying incident in Deal.

Her daughter Julie says they are living in fear it could happen again if nothing is done to improve the safety of the junction near the property.

The garden wall and a lamppost was knocked down, while a window was smashed and a hole has been left in their living room.

"I was upstairs at the time, and my mother was sat on the sofa watching TV," Julie told KentOnline.

"The next thing I know, there was this God awful noise and the house shook. All I could hear was my mother screaming.

"She was on the living room floor covered in glass. At that point I didn't know what was happening.

"I picked my mother up and sat her in a chair and got the glass off her.

"At this point there were loads of people knocking at the door. Our neighbours were amazing and so helpful.

"I stepped out of the front door to find a massive van had come through the garden wall, took out a lamp post and a bus stop and hit the front of the house.

"There was just a lot going on and it was hard to get our heads around what had happened."

The vehicle was travelling down Allenby Avenue, and hit the Smith's home in Mill Road.

"I don't understand how or why it happened," Julie, 60, said.

"We're now left with the devastation and the trauma - we're not sleeping and we have constant fear it could happen again."

Julie says the most worrying thing about the incident is that the bus stop is right outside the house.

"If anyone had been stood there, they would have been killed," she said.

"Someone didn't arrive to board up the window until 2.30am. I needed the house secure.

"The structural engineer didn't get here until gone 12am."

The live lamp post was trapped under the van and staff from the council had to make sure it was safe when released from under the vehicle.

"We got no sleep that night, it was too traumatic," Julie added.

"My mother is in her 80s and could have died from a heart attack with the shock.

"We're living with this now until after Christmas."

Having recently decorated the living room, the family are now living with a hole in it.

"I've had to use carrier bags to cover the hole," Ms Smith said.

"It's getting cold now and mice have got in because of it, and my mother is terrified of mice.

"All the heat from the house is escaping out the broken window.

"Every time I look out the window I see it. Now I live in fear it could happen again.

"What if a larger vehicle hits our house?

"My mother is now living the last years of her life worrying if a truck is going to come through the house."

Julie and Wendy are urging Kent County Council to make the junction safer.

"The speed limit could be reduced, or speed bumps could be implemented," Ms Smith said.

"My parents have lived here for over 57 years and there has been a lot of accidents over the years.

"We've had motorbikes and people in the front garden.

"At one point, the next door neighbours' car was pushed into our front garden from something hitting it.

"Nothing has ever hit the house until now."

A Kent Police spokesman confirmed officers attended and assisted the scene around 8pm last Wednesday and no serious injuries were reported.

"The driver involved was issued with a Traffic Offence Report for driving without due care and attention."

KCC did not say whether there were any plans to implement traffic calming measures near the junction when asked by KentOnline.

A spokesman said residents can report concerns direct to the council using its fault reporting tool at kent.gov.uk/highways.

“While enforcing speed limits is the responsibility of Kent Police, managing the speed of traffic is essential to continue reducing the number and severity of casualties on our roads," the spokesman added.

“KCC’s Vision Zero strategy sets out our commitment to working with partners to eradicate deaths and serious injuries on our roads and we would encourage all drivers to take responsibility for their own safety and those around them."