HEART-PUMPING CCTV footage shows a spate of car crashes at “Britain’s most dangerous junction” which has seen THIRTEEN accidents in six weeks.
The junction along the A521 in Cheadle, Staffordshire has seen cars flip in the air, collide with lorries and chalk up nearly £200,000 worth of damage over the last two months.
SWNSAn aerial view of a crash scene on the junction in Cheadle, Staffordshire[/caption]
SWNSShocking CCTV footage from councillor Gary Bentley’s Ring doorbell captured the dramatic scenes[/caption]
SWNSThe town’s council have confirmed they are investigating the crashes[/caption]
SWNSThe spate of collisions has shaken locals[/caption]
Misleading give way signs and faded road markings are said to be to blame for the staggering number of crashes as cars regularly fail to slow down in time.
Ring doorbell footage from nearby councillor Gary Bentley’s home captured the dramatic scenes and he believes there’s been roughly 13 crashes since August alone.
One video shows a car failing to spot the give way road markings and speeding over the lines before being smashed into by a lorry.
Another clip shows a SUV being clipped by a VW Golf before being sent rolling across the road onto the pavement.
The most recent accident happened on October 17 when a car smahed into a van at the junction which connects to Draycott Cross Road.
Homeowners fear someone will be killed at the accident blackspot and is urging the council to take action.
Nearby, The Huntsman pub landlord Conor Bernard Devine has been keeping a tally for the number of days between each smash which currently sits at four.
“You hear a big bang, you come running out and there’s a car on its roof again,” Conor, 55, revealed.
“It’s a question of time before someone gets killed out there.
“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 supermarket being built which is going to bring more traffic to the town.”
Independent councillor Gary Bentley, of High Peak Borough Council, own as house overlooking the junction and 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.
“To add insult to injury, on the other side of the pub, we’ve just passed an Aldi 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?
You hear a big bang, you come running out and there’s a car on its roof again
Conor, 55
“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’ve 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 is.
“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 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 priority and we do listen to residents and work with local communities if they have concerns about road safety in their area.”
The Sun Online has reached out to Staffordshire County Council for comment.
SWNSThere have been 13 heart-pounding accidents in just six weeks[/caption]
SWNSA crash scene on the junction in Cheadle[/caption]
SWNSSign posts were uprooted in one such incident[/caption]