Calls for lower speed limit at collision blackspot

Villagers say they fear someone will lose their life at a collision blackspot unless the speed limit in the area is lowered.

Residents of Coggeshall, Essex, say crashes or near-misses happen on a near-daily basis along part of West Street, where the speed limit is currently 40mph.

Footage shared with the BBC showed one incident in July when a car crashed into several parked vehicles and damaged a building, narrowly missing a jogger.

Local councillor Paul Thorogood said it was "a miracle" that no one had been seriously hurt in the crash.

CCTV of the incident on 4 July showed a car approaching at speed before clipping the corner of a parked vehicle, flipping on to its side.

The parked vehicle damaged the wall of an adjacent building, before the flipped car continued along the road, crashing into two more static vehicles.

Essex Police said the driver - who passed drink and drug driving tests at the roadside - was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

No-one else was hurt, and no charges were brought against the driver.

A spokesperson for the force said its investigation concluded "with a referral for a driver awareness course and a medical referral to the DVLA".

Green Party councillor Thorogood, who represents the Braintree Eastern division on Essex County Council, said: "This stretch of road has accidents nearly every day - wing mirrors are torn off, cars are written off on a weekly basis.

"The jogger [in the 4 July incident] told me that she often runs on the other side of the road and if she had been, she would have been killed."

The councillor said he had repeatedly asked Essex Highways to consider lowering the speed limit to 30mph on the stretch between Coggeshall Town Football Club and the village centre.

"Why wouldn't you lower the speed limit to save potentially a life?" he said.

"I wish they would just skirt around the bureaucracy, cut the red tape and just spend the money where it's needed."

Joanna Carruthers, 44, said she was not surprised by the crash on 4 July.

"We've seen quite a few accidents along this road - one of our close neighbours had a car written off," she said .

Lotte Nickel, who has lived in the village for 10 years, said the traffic situation was "quite scary".

"I have a seven and a three-year-old, and walking them along here is actually quite dangerous," she said.

Holly, a Coggeshall resident of 20 years, also said she was worried the situation would get worse if more houses were built in the village.

"I don't want to be living in… a gridlocked area where you can't get out of your house," she added.

"The paths are narrow, it's just quite scary that something like [the 4 July incident] can happen."

Tina said she had been taking part in speed awareness campaigns in the village since 2008, and that the situation was "terrifying".

"Nobody will slow down, [there are] regular confrontations where it's difficult to get past the parked cars, nobody will give way - it's just dangerous," she said.

A spokesperson for Essex Highways added: "We are sorry to hear about councillor Thorogood's experience and can assure residents this road has not gone unnoticed.

"We closely monitor local data and police engagement, as well as resident feedback, to find clear patterns which may require road safety improvements.

"With enough evidence of recurring issues, we are able to put forward works for funding."

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