Petition for action at 'highly dangerous' junction

More than 1,000 residents have signed a petition calling for new safety measures at a "highly dangerous" rural crossroads.

Campaigners said there have been at least five serious crashes at the four-way junction on the B1340 near Swinhoe, Northumberland, since 2020.

The petition calls on Northumberland County Council to realign the junction as the “only solution that will prevent more accidents from occurring”.

The authority said it was looking at the issue, with £20,000 allocated to carry out design work.

Those backing the change have argued the increase in tourism along with larger, faster cars driven by “drivers unfamiliar with the area” has "heightened the risk of accidents", the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Campaigners said the first recorded accident at the junction took place in 1928, and at the time Belford Rural District Council recommended demolishing the smithy on the corner - a workshop used by blacksmiths - to improve visibility.

However, councillors at the time declined to spend the £400 required and painted a white line across the road instead.

Nearly a hundred years later, petitioner John Rhind called on councillors to take action.

“Create a safer junction that allows everyone using it to see everyone else," he told a meeting of the North Northumberland Local Area Council.

"Don’t think about the cost of it, it's about getting it right."

Conservative councillor Jeff Watson, who represents Amble West, described the junction as "highly dangerous" and called for funding so the work will happen.

"If you have a big car with a long nose your nose sticks out before you can see around the corner," he said.

“This has been going on for all the time I have lived in Northumberland, more than 30 years, and it is about time we got to it.”

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