An elderly Papamoa couple have been left with a hefty repair bill after allegedly being cut off by a 4WD.

John Trinder and his wife were driving home on Saturday evening at around 6pm when the incident occurred.

John says they had just come onto Maranui Street, when a four-wheel drive turned right out of Kaimanawa Street and cut them off.

'I gave him a short toot, and he put his brakes on temporarily, before taking off,” says John.

'After that we began picking up speed again, and he slammed his brakes on again, this time stopping dead in the middle of the road. By the time I realised what had happened and put my own brakes on, I had run into the back of him.”

The four-wheel drive had a spare tyre on the back, which severely damaged the bonnet of John's car. It wasn't a write-off, but he says the damage was enough to make it unsafe to drive.

'The engine is alright, but the radiator looks stuffed. It had a few different-coloured oils coming out of it, so I didn't want to drive it and risk stuffing the engine.”

Instead, he called his grandson, who came and arranged for a tow truck to pick the car up. Meanwhile, the driver of vehicle that caused the damage left the scene, before anyone could note down the number plate.

To make matters worse, John says his car insurance lapsed around a month ago, and he hadn't got around to renewing it.

'I've had so much on my plate looking after my wife, taking her to the doctor, and it was the last thing I was thinking about.”

John's daughter Joanne has set up a Givealittle page to try and help her parents with the costs.

'This is the worst case of road rage I have ever heard of, especially cutting an elderly couple off while they were trying to get home,” she says.

She's hoping if anyone knows something, particularly local panel beaters who might have been asked to repair some damage to back of a four-wheel drive recently, to contact police.

Police say they have been made aware of this particular incident, and where avenues of inquiry emerge, they will follow them up.

'We encourage drivers to be considerate of others, responsible and make good choices behind the wheel at all times,” says a police spokesperson.

'Where incidents do occur we encourage motorists to note the details of the vehicle, including registration, and call police at the time, which allows us to follow up appropriate and make relevant inquiries.”

If the alleged driver of the 4WD would like to have their say about what happened, please contact SunLive at newsroom@thesun.co.nz