Barsham: Driver arrested on suspected drugs offences

The 24-year-old man had missed road safety signs set up by police dealing with one of the accidents, which saw a Mazda crash into the living room of a home where a woman was watching television. 

Police said the 24-year-old's car had got stuck in standing water which had accumulated at the spot - on the B1062 Bungay Road in Barsham, near Beccles - in the early hours of New Year's Day.

A Suffolk Constabulary spokesman said: “While police were ensuring the safety of the road while the emergency service were working, a driver passed the road closure signs. 

“The male driver who passed the signs then got stuck in the water, police went to help him to discover he was in possession of a small bag of cannabis."

Flood water on the B1062 outside Anglia Water is hard for cars to spot at night due to to poor visibility (Image: Bruno Brown)

The man was taken to Great Yarmouth Police Investigation Centre and later released, while inquiries continue. 

The spokesman added: “The driver – a 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of driving a vehicle while unfit through drugs, possession of a controlled class B drug, cannabis. And also driving a motor vehicle dangerously, possession of a Class A controlled drug, and failing to stop when required by police. 

“Another person within the vehicle, a 36-year-old man, was interviewed at the scene on suspicion of possession of cannabis.” 

People living near the spot have been calling for Suffolk County Council's highways department to clear a drain to cut the risk of flooding on the road. 

They say standing water regularly causes accidents there - including the three which happened on the evening of New Year's Eve.

Suffolk Highways said it had made efforts to warn motorists of the dangers, and said it would aim to keep the road safe in the future.

Firefighters had to rescue the driver of the Mazda - a man in his 50s - from the car. He was taken to James Paget Hospital with injuries that were not initially thought to be serious but are now considered to be potentially life-changing.

The woman whose house was hit, Julie Wren, escaped injury.

A car crashed into a woman's home after aquaplaning in the flood water (Image: Michelle Savage)