Ramsey St Mary's family home destroyed by BMW on October 7

Abbey Barnes from Ramsey St Mary's said her two children "could have been seriously injured" had they not gone upstairs just moments before a BMW 3 Series estate crashed into the family home on Fisher Close. 

Mrs Barnes said she heard a "sonic boom" followed by a huge bang, which shook the property to its foundations, while getting ready for dinner at 5.30pm on October 7. 

Mrs Barnes, second from left, said the family have been left homeless. (Image: Abbey Barnes) She told The Hunts Post that despite the scale of the damage to the property, her main concern was for the safety of her children and the condition of the driver. 

She said: "We heard a wheel skid at the junction that gradually became louder before it turned into a sonic boom that seemed to go on forever. 

"As soon as I felt the house shake I ran down the stairs to check if the person trapped in the car was safe because they'd just had an accident. 

"As soon as I entered the living room I was hit by a cloud of smoke, dust and glass. It was like something out of a film - I got bits of glass on my face and all I could see by the car was a silhouette.

Mrs Barnes said her children could have been seriously injured. (Image: Abbey Barnes)She added: "There was so much debris in the living room that I had to run through the hallway and out of the back door to reach the car. 

"It wasn't until I reached the garden that it hit me just how much the house was damaged. I remember the feeling of horror when I saw the destruction in the flesh.

"Had it been two minutes earlier, I wouldn't be worried about where I was sleeping because I can guarantee my children would be in hospital with serious injuries."

• RECOMMENDED READING: Car crashes into home in Ramsey and one man arrested
• RECOMMENDED READING: Shocking photos show car that crashed into Hunts house

To Mrs Barnes' dismay, the driver had fled the scene by the time she managed to reach the car from outside the property. 

The damage to the property is "extensive and structural". (Image: Abbey Barnes) Last week, Cambridgeshire Police revealed a 28-year-old man from Ramsey was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving, driving while unfit through drink or drugs, and possession of cannabis. 

He has been released on bail until January 6. 

Mrs Barnes said the family have now been left "homeless" and will be moved into temporary accommodation for at least six months. 

However, the scale of the damage means the family could be without their home for at least a year, a prospect the mum of two described as "unbearable". 

She said: "I just remember standing in the garden when the police had arrived thinking 'we will never get over this'.

"It was the sense of knowing that I couldn't fix the immense damage to our home, which we had spent so long making our own.

"We're looking at extensive damage and could be looking at having to replace parts of upstairs and the conservatory due to structural damage which could take at least 10 months."

 A 28-year-old man from Ramsey was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving. (Image: Abbey Barnes) Mrs Barnes said the incident has left her fearful of returning the property and added it prompted "wider conversations" about road safety in Ramsey St Mary's. 

She said: "I'll be living in somebody else's house for a year while my memories and my photos lie in rubble, but I don't feel safe to go back there.

"Every time I hear a car going too fast or a wheel spin, I won't feel safe about letting my children play in the garden, because what's to say it won't happen again?

"Even simple things like sitting in the front room watching a film, I know I'm going to think 'we shouldn't be in this room, it's not safe.'

Cambridgeshire Police is now appealing for witnesses who saw the BMW to come forward, and is looking for CCTV, dashcam or video doorbell footage of it in the Ramsey area prior to the collision.