Shell-shocked homeowner says his partner could have been killed after lorry smashes into lounge in Fleckney

A shell-shocked homeowner in Fleckney says his partner could have been killed after a lorry smashed into it this morning (Monday).

Chris Yorston, 61, said Alison Nicol, 57, normally works in the front lounge hit by the out-of-control tipper truck at their 111-year-old Edwardian house on Leicester Road, Fleckney.

But by an amazing stroke of luck she had got up and left the room in the nick of time before the catastrophic crash at their semi-detached home at about 8.30am.

Police, firefighters and an ambulance all raced to the scene after the alarm was raised as Leicester Road was shut for several hours today.

Talking to the Harborough Mail this evening just hours later, visibly-stunned Chris said: “We are both shocked to bits as you can imagine.

“This has done my head in – it still hasn’t really sunk in.

“Our house is in a terrible state and it’s going to take a long time to get it put right,” said Chris, who’s lived there for 32 years.

“But at least it’s just bricks and mortar.

“Alison could easily have been seriously injured or even killed if she hadn’t walked out of that room – and that doesn’t bear thinking about.”

The builder told how the astonishing drama unfolded after he’d left to go to work as usual at about 6.30am today.

“I got a call out of the blue from Alison a couple of hours or so later telling me that the lorry had smashed into our house.

“She was in floods of tears and obviously very distressed,” said fuming Chris.

“She’s been working at home because of Covid.

“She sits at a table in the front lounge and had just got up and gone out when the crash happened.

“Thank goodness she did because the lorry hit that room with so much force – the impact was huge.

“Alison won’t stay in the house tonight, she’s too upset.

“She’s gone to stay with her mother in Foxton for the time being,” said the father-of-two and grandfather.

“My little grandson was in that very room yesterday afternoon looking out of the window at a digger.

“And the local kids are usually standing outside waiting to get the bus to school at about 8.30 on a morning.

“So we are so lucky that it’s half-term and none of them were there because it could have been tragic.”

Chris said he’s now waiting for an insurance expert to visit him tomorrow to assess the full extent of the damage following the incident.

“I’ve managed to get the front of the house battered by the lorry boarded up and I’ll be staying here to make sure our home is secure.

“The crash has obviously left the front lounge a real state and it’s a mess upstairs as well with all the curtains down and cracks all over,” he said.

“It’s going to take a long while to repair and restore it.

“This house dates way back to 1911, I’ve been here for 32 years and it means so much to me.

“I spent quite a bit of money on the house doing it up just a year ago – and now this happens.

“Our front door has survived at least.

“But funnily enough I’ve always feared the worst in a way,” said Chris, whose pet Staffordshire bull terrier has also been left “traumatised” by the smash.

“This road has got busier and busier over the last few years.

“I’ve actually put cones out the front on the path to stop lorries turning around here – it’s far too tight and dangerous.

“They’re building 23 new houses up the road and access to the site is shocking.

“It’s far too congested for all the lorries and construction traffic.

“I’ve already had the fence at the side of my house mown down twice over the years – so this is the third time we’ve had the property targeted one way or another.

“Now we really need to get to the bottom of this and find out exactly how this happened and why because we certainly don’t want a repeat,” insisted furious Chris.

He’s being backed up by Harborough MP Neil O’Brien.

This evening Neil told the Mail: “It’s a miracle that no-one was injured or killed in this crash.

“It’s a very serious accident which will need a full investigation to establish what caused it.

“Looking at the scene there’s been a massive amount of damage done to Chris’s home.

“It’s difficult to understand how this happened and I feel so sorry for Chris and his partner,” said the Conservative MP.

“I am trying to get hold of him as we speak to offer him my full support.

“I trust that the firm responsible will be going out of their way to compensate the family after their house was wrecked.

“They should be straining every sinew to put this right.”

Northampton-based Colonial Construction, which is building new homes on Leicester Road, Fleckney, said they will launch a full investigation into the incident.

Police shut Leicester Road between the junction of Coleman Road and the High Street for several hours today as the crash was tackled.

Two fire engines from Wigston station were scrambled to attend the incident.

The badly shaken-up truck driver was checked over by medics at the scene but escaped unhurt, said the fire service.

Firefighters made sure that the damaged house was structurally safe before leaving at 10.12am.