A lorry ploughed into a telegraph pole and ripped cables down in a west Suffolk village before driving off.

Eyewitness Jane Ranzetta said the accident happened just before 1pm in Water Street, Lavenham.

Mrs Ranzetta, who has lived in the street for 25 years, said it is not the first time there has been an accident involving a lorry near her Grade I-listed home.

“It’s been an ongoing problem in Lavenham,” she added. “It’s notorious for these accidents and we have had several properties hit by lorries over the years.

“This time a massive lorry with a trailer, which shouldn’t actually be going down Water Street because it’s unsuitable, drove into a telegraph pole outside my house, leaving it in a precarious position and ripped down all the wires. And it didn’t stop.

“The cables have damaged car windscreens and part of the paving has been ripped up.

“I had a builder working on my roof and he was absolutely shocked to see it happen and the lorry driver just drive off.”

Mrs Ranzetta said villagers had been in contact with the highways team at Suffolk County Council but as yet, no action had been taken.

She added: “Highways have made recommendations but we need to do something to make this a lorry-free zone.

“Highways have been really good and supportive with the parish council and came up with some proposals but unfortunately nothing has happened.

“I know it’s not just a problem in Lavenham but it’s just incredibly frustrating.”

A Suffolk police spokeswoman confirmed the incident was reported to officers at 12.49pm yesterday.

A Suffolk County Council spokeswoman said lorries are permitted to use Water Street as it is part of a local access route in the Suffolk Lorry Route Network but lorries on longer journeys are encouraged to use more suitable roads.

“We continue to work with Lavenham Parish Council to attempt to address the issue of large vehicles using a narrow urban street,” she added. “In Lavenham as in many rural areas in Suffolk, we are attempting to balance the need for large vehicles to access narrow county roads to maintain a vibrant economy against the damage and disruption that such vehicles can cause.”

Anyone who has an issue with a lorry driving in locations that are not on the Lorry Network can obtain an HGV incident report via

www.suffolk.gov.uk/environment-and-transport/highways/traffic-management-and-road-safety/lorry-management/

The council will review each report to see what action many be necessary.