A listed wall that is a magnet for vehicle crashes is to be strengthened if plans are approved by Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC).

The wall outside Four Winds, in Hurstbourne Tarrant, has been demolished four times in the past decade by drivers trying to negotiate a tight bend at the heart of the village. In the most recent incident, the wall was demolished on April 10 after a man twice the drink drive limit collided with it.

The Thomas family, who own Four Winds, said: “At present we fear for our safety with no protection from the quite terrifying speeds, volume and size of traffic. We do hope that the planning department can work with us to find a speedy solution to our current situation.”

Four Winds is a Grade II listed property, noted for its late eighteenth century stylings, with the twentieth century forecourt wall also listed in Heritage England’s description of the property.

It is located on The Square, a sharp bend on the A343 in Hurstbourne Tarrant. Incidents at the house date back decades, with a historical statement noting that part of the front of the house collapsed when a lorry drove into it following World War Two. As a result, the appearance of the house changes dramatically where the section has been rebuilt.

Since then, the wall was damaged in 2013 and 2014 by drivers failing to take the bend, with one van driver “narrowly avoiding” coming through the house’s bay window after bouncing off a wall on the other side of the road.

More recently, a car rolled through the wall after the handbrake was left off, and on April 10 this year, a large section of the wall, as well as a gate and gate post, were demolished by drunk driver James Wilson.

He was found to have 94 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, when the legal limit is 35, after crashing in front of police officers at Four Winds and causing under £5000 worth of damage to the house.

He later pleaded guilty to drink driving, driving without insurance and aggravated vehicle taking, for which he was ordered to pay £300, disqualified from driving and ordered to complete an alcohol treatment programme for 28 days before April 26 2022.

The owners of the house want to avoid further repeats of these incidents by erecting a strengthened wall in front of the house. Through it will look the same from the outside, the interior will consist of concrete reinforced with metal rods to provide a stronger barrier.

The piers for the wall will also be restored to their historic height, which the Thomases say would provide additional protection and restore some of the building’s heritage.

The plans are currently under consideration at TVBC, and will be decided on in due course.