A woman has been locked in a desperate battle with her insurer to return her 19-year-old car that is “part of the family” after it was damaged in a crash.

Jane Clarke is the “proud owner” of a silver 2002 Ford Fiesta Zetec Sport and has clocked up an astonishing 354,000 miles as the sole driver.

Last month, the 71-year-old from Woodford Green was driving home along the A14 after a trip to Wellingborough when her car came off the road after a crash involving a lorry.

Jane was able to walk away from the incident “relatively unscathed”, but the car was dented along the passenger side.

The car was dented along the passenger sideThe car was dented along the passenger side (Image: Supplied)

It eventually wound up at a car pound in Bedfordshire, where to Jane’s shock it was assessed by her insurer Ageas as a 'category B' write-off due to the damage.

She was told that this meant her Ford Fiesta could only be released to her if she took it to a car breakers and supplied proof of destruction.

Ageas has said that any vehicle assessed as 'category B' must be disposed of "safely and appropriately" in line with the Association of British Insurers Salvage Code of Practice.

But Jane has refused to accept this demand which would have forced her to give up a car she describes as “part of the family”, and has been locked in a battle with Ageas over its future ever since.

“The bottom line is that I want the category taken off it, or at least to be able to take it away and not have to have it destroyed,” she said.

“As silly as it sounds, I’m very fond of it. This has all been an unbelievably stressful and upsetting time for me.

“I do feel that I have been bullied and victimised as an elderly woman fighting her corner all on her own.

“No compassion nor common sense has been displayed at any time, but I will not give up.”

Jane has said her car feels like 'part of the family'Jane has said her car feels like 'part of the family' (Image: Supplied)

The pensioner added that she accepts the insurer’s decision from a “financial, insurance point of view” and is not asking for a pay-out from Ageas – if she can keep the car.

So far, she has been offered £550, or £425 when her excess is deducted, on the condition the car is destroyed, she said.

“That’s nowhere near enough when you consider the inconvenience I’ve had and the way this has been handled all along,” she explained.

Since the crash, Jane said she has not been supplied with a hire car by the insurance company, so has had to fork out on bus and train tickets to travel.

She said: “I don’t want to be out-of-pocket, and I don’t want the car to be smashed up.

“I’m not asking for anything else, and I think that’s reasonable. I really feel like I have been through the mill with this company.”

Jane added that she had also raised her case with her insurance broker Footman James.

A spokesperson for Ageas and Footman James said:  “We were sorry to hear about the accident and the damage to Ms Clarke’s car.

"Our aim is to repair vehicles rather than replace them wherever possible.

"However, our in-house engineers, along with a second inspection carried out in-person by an independent engineer, found the damage to the car to be beyond repair."