It shouldn’t take a body count for road safety improvements to be made.

That is the view of New Street resident Simon Leith after a suspected drink driver crashed into two parked cars and hit railings before ending up in the Delf Stream on Saturday evening.

The former mayor claims the incident is just one of many in recent years, but the lack of deaths means no action is taken.

“The fact that people could quite easily be dead today, but for good fortune aren’t, seems to mean nothing.

“County Highways are always demanding a ‘body count’ to justify spending money.”

He added: “Speed was an aspect of this crash. Can we have some safety?”

Mr Leith, a New Street resident of eight years, says speed is a “huge problem” in the road with drivers regularly ignoring the 20mph limit.

He claims some cars use the newly installed pedestrian crossing as a start and finish line when racing around the town.

“People just come hurtling down the road. It’s a regular occurrence, even with the bigger vehicles. Some are touching 40mph. It’s happening day and night.”

Mr Leith had hosted a birthday party for one of his grandchildren when Saturday’s incident unfolded.

He said: “As people left we noticed a fire engine manoeuvring close to my wife Caroline’s car.

She went to move it only to find it a couple of metres further down from where she had left it, with all of one side smashed in.”

Two fire engines attended. The road was shut between the Ropewalk and the petrol station just after 5pm.

A spokesman for KFRS said: “The driver of the car was trapped. Firefighters stabilised the vehicle and released the driver through the rear of the vehicle, into the care of attending ambulance crew.”

A Kent Police spokesman added: “Officers attended the scene and there were no reported injuries. The driver, a man, was arrested on suspicion of driving while over the legal alcohol limit.

“He was taken to hospital as a precaution and released pending further enquiries.”

Mayor Cllr Paul Graeme said: “We’ve recently installed the pedestrian crossing in New Street which we believe has slowed down the traffic and we’re currently looking into further measures to improve safety in that area.”