Britain’s most dangerous junction has seen 13 different crashes in two months in terrifying CCTV
Shocking CCTV footage[1] has captured a series of car crashes[2] at what’s been dubbed “Britain’s most dangerous junction”, with 13 accidents[3] occurring in just six weeks.
The notorious junction on the A521 in Cheadle, Staffordshire, has witnessed vehicles flipping into the air, smashing into lorries, and causing close to £200,000 in damages within the last couple of months. Faulty give way signs and barely visible road markings are reportedly the culprits behind the alarming number of incidents, as drivers frequently fail to decelerate in time.
Dramatic scenes have been recorded by Ring doorbell cameras[4] from the residence of local councillor Gary Bentley, who estimates around 13 collisions since August. In one harrowing incident caught on camera, a car completely misses the faded give way signs and is violently hit by an oncoming lorry.
Shopper ‘in tears’ over ‘life-changing’ hair care that ‘eliminates’ dandruff[5]
Locals blame the faulty give way signs and barely visible road markings (
No credit)
Another distressing video captures an SUV being sideswiped by a VW Golf[6], resulting in the SUV tumbling across the road and onto the footpath. The latest crash took place on Thursday (October 17), involving a car and a van at the junction leading to Draycott Cross Road.
Residents are now expressing grave concerns that it’s only a matter of time before fatalities occur at this notorious blackspot, urging the council to intervene. Conor Bernard Devine, the landlord of The Huntsman pub nearby, has been marking the calendar for each new accident, which currently averages every four days.
Conor, aged 55, commented: “You hear a big bang, you come running out and there’s a car on its roof again. It’s a question of time before someone gets killed out there.
One of the terrifying accidents (
No credit)
“We’re on a four day streak at the moment. We’ve been here 15 years, it’s always been bad for the accidents. For whatever reason it’s getting worse. I don’t know if it’s the road markings or not.
“Three have been very serious then there’s been a couple of little fender benders. There’s also an Aldi[7] supermarket being built which is going to bring more traffic to the town.”
Independent councillor Gary Bentley, of High Peak Borough Council, who owns a house overlooking the junction has called for traffic lights to be installed. Gary, whose dad also lives just a few doors down, said: “It’s a busy junction. We think it could be Britain’s most dangerous – it has been in the last few weeks.
Local councillor Gary Bentley estimates there have been 13 accidents since August (
No credit)
“To add insult to injury, on the other side of the pub, we’ve just passed an Aldi[8] supermarket. We were all concerned about the highway issues and people out of town coming down, most of the crashes are from people outside the area.
“A couple of weeks ago a car came over and didn’t know he had to stop. There were two. One was hit by a car and another by a lorry. We put it down to the faint lines. The council painted one line. But the crash last week was the other side, where they didn’t paint. They only painted one side of the road. Who does that?
“One side is beautifully painted, the other side you can’t see. I wanted the signs changing from give way to stop, that’s the minimum I want. We ideally want a set of traffic lights. We had another set of crossroads that caused a death, but 18 months ago they got traffic lights. That’s what I’m pushing for.
“It happens all the time. We don’t just have these big ones, we have little crashes too. We reckon we’ve had about 13 crashes since August. My dad is 84 and he wanders up that road all day long. That’s what my concern it.
“It’s been going on for years, but it seems to have gotten worse this year. I can only put it down to the maintenance of the road, the potholes too. There were no white lines at the end. There’s a give way sign high up. This is my corner, I love my corner. We all get on, we all help each other. The only thing letting it down is the crossroads.”
His dad Alan Bentley, who has lived in the area for 60 years, added: “It isn’t safe. I’d like a big roundabout, a massive roundabout to slow them down, or traffic lights.”
Mark Deaville, cabinet member for strategic highways at Staffordshire County Council, said the car crashes were being investigated. He said: “Once we have all the information, we will look to see if any action is required at the location. Keeping our roads safe remains our top priority and we do listen to residents and work with local communities if they have concerns about road safety in their area.”
References
- ^ CCTV footage (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ car crashes (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ accidents (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Ring doorbell cameras (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Shopper ‘in tears’ over ‘life-changing’ hair care that ‘eliminates’ dandruff (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Golf (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Aldi (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Aldi (www.mirror.co.uk)