A mother whose car skidded off an icy road and into the front garden of a house has accused the county council of not gritting the road.

The woman, who did not want to be named, was on her way to drop off her two young children when her blue Volvo skidded off St Anne’s Road in London Colney, hit a parked van and crashed into the front garden of a home on Tuesday morning (19).

She told the Herts Advertiser that the two people living in the property, a mother and son, were minutes away from stepping out of the front door before the car crashed into it.

She said: “I’m absolutely mortified for the people who live there. It was an accident but if someone had been walking past they would have been crushed. I’m furious”

The woman, whose car has now been written off, was driving at less than 20 miles per hour but lost control of the car when turning round a bend on the icy road.

She has insisted that the roads were not gritted, resulting in dangerous driving conditions.

She continued: “I’m always extra careful in these conditions but you can’t get any speed on that road anyway, and why would I take that risk with my kids in the car?

“This road is a main bus route and I am very concerned that the right precautions were not taken by Herts Highways. I’ve contacted them and l would like to see what they have to say.”

Kevin Carrol, Ringway divisional manager working on behalf of Herts County Council, said: “We are naturally concerned to hear about this incident. St Anne’s Road is on a priority salting route and would have been gritted prior to the incident.

“However, gritting can never guarantee that a road surface will remain entirely ice free. Salt is the best material we have available to treat snow and ice, but drivers still need to be careful and should not drive as if weather conditions are normal.”