A SUFFOLK mother had a lucky escape when a car ploughed into the front of her home without braking, at speeds of up to 50mph according to a witness.Helen Herrington was watching Wimbledon on television in the sitting room of her Bury St Edmunds home, at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, when a woman driver smashed into the front of it.

A SUFFOLK mother had a lucky escape when a car ploughed into the front of her home without braking, at speeds of up to 50mph according to a witness.

Helen Herrington was watching Wimbledon on television in the sitting room of her Bury St Edmunds home, at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, when a woman driver smashed into the front of it.

Neighbours watched in horror as fire and ambulance crews cut through the mangled wreckage to rescue the driver, a woman believed to be in her 50s, at 7pm yesterday .

Mystery today surrounds what caused the woman, who was taken to West Suffolk Hospital, to lose control.

Now Mrs Herrington faces months of disruption as builders rebuild the front of her four-bedroom home in Winsford Road which suffered structural damage to the walls.

She said: "I thought the roof had fallen down. The noise and the shock of it was tremendous."

She described the woman driver as 'calm,' as airbags from her T-registration Saab automatic softened the impact of the crash, and fire crews saved her.

One neighbour, who witnessed the car careering across 50ft of front lawn, said: "I had just come in from gardening as it was raining.

"I looked out of the window to see a car coming down the road at 40-50mph. "This is an area where no-one drives in anything more than second gear. I thought at first it was joyriders. I couldn't believe it when the car did not brake and just kept on going straight into the house.

"It was a miracle there were no children playing because it was raining – there usually are kids in this area."

Gardener, Edward Plummer said: " I couldn't believe it when I came to work today.

"The garden is in a terrible state. I've got my work cut out."