Neighbours have spoken of the aftermath of a crash that left a man dead after his car ploughed into the home of an elderly woman in the early hours of the morning.

Passing motorists and local householders rushed to help after the accident on Panxworth Road near South Walsham at 12.40am on Sunday.

A man in his 30s, who was driving a black Vauxhall Corsa that had left the road crashing into a house on a sharp bend, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Alistair Dougal, who lives opposite, said they had tried to help the driver after being woken by the sound of the crash.

“Having got there and seen the position and the state of the car it was pretty clear there was nothing we could do,” he said.

“It seemed that there could be no chance that they had survived it and indeed he didn’t. It’s a terrible thing.

“Shocking for the lady who lives at the house and obviously really tragic.”

Another neighbour, who preferred not to be named, said they had also been woken by emergency services.

“My niece heard the noise initially. We then heard the air ambulance landing in the field at the back which shook the house,” she said.

“It was hard to understand what was happening but it looked quite serious once we saw a car had ended up going into the lady’s house.

“We were very concerned but a policeman told us that she was okay. She is an elderly lady who has lived there for a long time.”

Work to secure the severely damaged house was under way by Sunday afternoon.

The road was closed for five hours while scene investigations were carried out.

The accident occurred in a 30mph section of the narrow road through Panxworth that twists through several sharp bends.

It has seen several serious accidents in recent years including one in 2013 that saw a woman in her 70s killed when her car hit a van close to nearby Cottenham Barns.

Mr Dougal said: “It is absolutely appalling. I don't know why the council is not doing something about this road. It’s bad enough during the day sometimes but at night it is absolutely ridiculous.

“That bend is lethal at night if people don’t know it.”

Police are keen to hear from anyone who may have information concerning the driving manner of the Corsa prior to the crash or motorists with any relevant dash cam footage of the vehicle.

Anyone with information should contact the Serious Collision Investigation Unit at Wymondham on 101 or email SCIU@norfolk.police.uk