PENSIONER John Robinson had a lucky escape after a speeding car smashed into a row of garages like skittles.

The 82-year-old who lives in Park Road, Eccleshill, had just put his car away when it happened on Wednesday at around 1pm.

Mr Robinson’s wife Molly, who is 80, said her husband was lucky to be alive but their garage had not escaped unscathed and the one next to it had been destroyed.

Police were called to the scene but the occupant of the car had run off, said retired pubworker Mrs Robinson.

She said she believed the car had comedown park Road at speed before trying to turn into Bridgegate, where there is a 20 mph restriction, and losing control.

“The car’s caught the third garage in the row of five, then smashed into ours and destroyed the last one. It must’ve been like a game of skittles,” she said.

And she added: “The police couldn’t believe the driver had got out of the car alive. It was that bad. My husband had only just put our car away, any later and he could’ve been wiped out himself.”

The couple contacted their insurers who sent out a structural engineer before the garage could be shored up safely enough for them to get their car out safely.

Now Mr and Mrs Robinson are hoping Bradford Council will consider putting speed bumps along Park Road which they say is blighted by speeding cars.

“It’s worse at peak times but it goes on all the time. It’s a wonder there hasn’t been a bad accident yet. Sometimes I’m sat in the car for ages before I dare get out on the road. We really could do with speed bumps to slow them down.”

Mrs Robinson said there have been near-misses on the road before. Once a car crashed into three vehicles, almost shunting them into her husband and their dog.

“There’s St Brendan’s school down Park Road as well. It’s dangerous for those children.”

Eccleshill ward councillor Brendan Stubbs (Lib Dems) said he would meet with Mr and Mrs Robinson and other residents if they wanted and go and talk to the Council’s Highways to see what can be done to make the road safer.

“I’m willing to do that to see what can be done but unfortunately you can’t engineered a solution to bad behaviour. There’s been places we’ve put speed bumps in and drivers actually go up onto the paths to avoid them.

A police spokesman said: “Police were called to Bridgegate Way at about 1.35pm following a report of a car which had collided with a garage. The caller expressed concerns for the safety of their garage following the collision, which was thought to have happened at around 1pm. Officers attended to assess the damage, which included a red Toyota Yaris parked in the garage next to it.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact PC 5309 Pickard at the Safer Roads and Neighbourhood Support team on 101, quoting log 0835 of May 17.