A FELIXSTOWE hair salon owner is livid today after her premises were smashed by a vehicle crashing into them for the third time.The motorist in the latest incident – who caused more than £4,000 damage – was able to reverse his car clear, and then drove off.

By Richard Cornwell

A FELIXSTOWE hair salon owner is livid today after her premises were smashed by a vehicle crashing into them for the third time.

The motorist in the latest incident - who caused more than £4,000 damage - was able to reverse his car clear, and then drove off.

Despite a hunt by police in cars and the force helicopter, the driver could not be found and officers have now issued an appeal for witnesses.

The owner of Happy Hair in Beach Station Road, Helen Ellis said: "This is the third time this has happened and it is very frustrating and upsetting.

"We just don't know how it would have happened - perhaps the driver was drunk or speeding.

"What we do need is some safety action here to prevent it from happening again. So far we have been very lucky and no-one has been injured.

"My insurance though keeps going up and up and for some strange reason this corner is proving very dangerous."

The accident happened at 8.45pm on Saturday.

The car mounted the pavement at the traffic lights - where usually vehicles would be travelling slower - and smashed into the front of the shop, breaking the windows and door.

"A man came out of the Dolphin pub across the road about 15 minutes after the accident and he was able to walk straight into our premises. He telephoned the police from here to report the incident," said Mrs Ellis.

The shop has been boarded up but is open for business as usual though it has been a bit draughty for staff and customers.

Mrs Ellis, who has run the hair salon for the past 14 years, would like to see metal barriers put up outside the shop, as they have been on the corners around other parts of the junction of Beach Station and Langer Roads, to give her premises some protection.

In the two previous crashes a lorry trailer got free and careered down the road and went through the windows and inside, and a car slipped on an icy road in bad weather and smacked into the salon.

A police spokeswoman appealed for anyone who saw the incident or the car involved to get in touch with community police officer Pc Jim Kerr at Felixtowe police station on 01473 613500.