People living near a school have raised concerns over heavy traffic and speeding after a parked BMW in the road was written off.

Residents of Lucy Avenue in Folkestone are calling for action to slow drivers down and stop the route being used as a “rat run”.

Edwina Boyt, who has lived in the street for almost 30 years, told KentOnline it has been busier following the creation of Folkestone Academy in 2007.

“There is an issue here,” she said. “When I moved here in 1994, it was a sleepy hollow.

“Since Folkestone Academy was built, there is traffic all the time – not just during school hours.”

She added that some motorists even take to driving on the pavement to get past the queues of traffic, so she grew a hedge at the front of her home for extra security.

“People use the place as a cut-through – it’s a nightmare,” she said.

It comes after one resident’s car parked along the road opposite Folkestone Academy was written off after being ploughed into by a driver in a suspected stolen Mercedes.

The incident, which happened on October 19, also saw a bin taken out before the front driver’s side of the silver BMW 530 was smashed into, leaving debris covering the road.

The owner of the wrecked car, who asked not to be named, said: “I was sitting in the front room watching TV and I heard this massive bang and a great rev.

“I couldn’t see it, I just heard it – it sounded like a lorry.

“I ran out there and the driver had gone. One of my neighbours saw a black Mercedes driving away.

“Pieces from my car were left covering the road which I had to go and sweep up so other drivers didn’t get punctures driving through.”

This resident is now calling for traffic calming measures in Lucy Avenue.

“In the last couple of years, drivers seem to be getting faster and faster,” they said.

“It is supposed to be 30mph but I actually drive at 20mph to compensate for people who are driving at 40 or 50. In the evenings it gets worse.

“It is used as a rat run too. Even I use it as one as it is the best route to get to places such as Morrisons and Capel. But I don’t do 40, 50 or 60mph like some do.”

Rosemary Collins, 76, also lives in Lucy Avenue and heard the collision.

“The bang was so loud when the crash happened, my daughter was at the back of the house and even she heard it,” she said.

“We’ve had them speeding around here and racing but they do it everywhere.

“It is usually in the evenings when they do it.”

The Mercedes involved in the collision was later found abandoned in a gym car park.

A police spokesman said they were contacted on Friday, October 20, and further inquiries established a Mercedes CL500 had been reported stolen from Perries Mead.

“The Mercedes was later recovered in Pent Road and enquiries are ongoing into both the theft and the collision,” they said.

“Anyone with information should call police on 01843 222289, quoting reference 46/188419/23.”

A Kent County Council (KCC) spokesperson said the safety of everyone who uses the roads is KCC’s top priority and bosses take a data-led approach to establish whether traffic calming measures are needed in roads.

“In the three years up to the end of March 2023 there were no recorded personal injury crashes in Lucy Avenue, Folkestone,” they said.

“Details on how to raise a concern about a particular road are available on our website.”

A spokesperson from Turner Schools, which runs the academy, said members of staff supervise Lucy Avenue at 3.30pm when pupils finish school, adding they are aware traffic increases at drop-off and pickup times.

“We have asked our parents and carers before to respect all parking and road restrictions in these areas and have suggested alternatives such as car shares or meeting children on nearby streets,” they said.

“Parents are also encouraged to collect their children from the Academy Lane entrance where there is adequate parking for all vehicles.

“We also encourage students to ride bicycles to school and have organised a number of cycle workshops to demonstrate how to do this safely. We will continue to work with our students and their families to keep the roads around the school as safe as possible."