Blackspot roundabout ‘accident waiting to happen’

A roundabout on the Fylde coast where a car recently smashed into the garden wall of a school has been called ‘a fatal accident waiting to happen’.

And residents are calling for measures to be brought in to try and make it safer – before someone is seriously hurt or even killed.

In Wrea Green village, four roads – two sides of Ribby Road, Station Road and The Green, converge at a mini-roundabout close to Ribby with Wrea Endowed CE Primary School.

Last Friday, on May 8, a serious road accident saw a car plough into the garden wall of the primary school, following a collision with another vehicle. The circumstances are still being probed.

Two fire engines from Blackpool and Wesham attended the scene on Station Road. Three casualties were treated by North West Ambulance Service. Crews were on scene for forty-five minutes.

But campaigners say the accident, shocking though it was, came as no surprise.

Cllr Frank Andrews, who represents Wrea Green on Fylde Council, said: “This roundabout has been making people really anxious for a long time, long before the dreadful accident.

“Something has to be sorted out, possibly a give way sign at one side and a halt sign at another, because at the moment traffic is arriving there from all sides at the same time and there’s nothing to slow them down.

“We could do with CCTV in the village, which would probably have shown exactly how the accident happened.”

A local mum, who did not wish to be named, said: “Luckily no one was killed but next time someone might not be so lucky.

“There are some railings in front of the school wall but it would do no good if someone was on that pavement. They would probably be killed.

“There is no deterrent for people driving quickly and that roundabout is dangerous – people are just tempted to drive over it rather than go round. There have been a lot of accidents there over the years.

“At least if we had bollards in front of the wall, instead of the railings, it would offer some protection.”

It is understood there are also serious concerns about the roundabout at the primary school.

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council, the highways authority, said: ”We’re aware of concerns about the roundabout at Wrea Green and take any reports of road safety issues very seriously.

“Our road safety team works closely with the police to identify locations where there are higher numbers of collisions or issues with speed, and where there is evidence of a problem, we consider appropriate measures.

“We receive a high number of requests for road safety measures across Lancashire, and we prioritise our finite resources towards sites where there is clear evidence of a pattern of collisions or injury.

“We have assessed this location and, based on the information currently available, it does not meet the threshold for additional measures at this time. However, we will continue to monitor the situation.

“We are also engaging with the parish council and local members as part of ongoing discussions about the area to explore if there are other opportunities to fund improvements here.”