Action demanded at crossroads where minibus crashed

A concerned resident is calling for action at a notorious road junction that has seen multiple deaths in recent years.

Roy Fabb lives near the B1040 at Bluntisham, Cambridgeshire, where a number of crashes have happened, including one in which three minibus passengers were killed and eight others injured in 2019.

Mr Fabb, from Somersham, said his family had to use the Wheatsheaf crossroads every day which "worries him sick", particularly when it was "busy in the evenings in the dark".

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire County Council, which is responsible for the road, said it was aware of concerns about the crossroads, and said it had put up extra signs.

The B1040 runs between St Ives and Somersham, and it is crossed by the road between Bluntisham and Woodhurst.

Ksaizek was jailed for five years over the 2019 minibus crash after being found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving, when he failed to give way at the junction and hit a car.

Mr Fabb said there had been other collisions at the junction in recent years.

Mr Fabb said he did not understand the road signage when approaching the crossroads.

He said newly installed electronic warning signs, alerting drivers approaching the junction, did not always work.

"The traffic from St Ives towards Somersham is continuous, and drivers crossing the carriageway sometimes take risks, which lead to accidents," he said.

"If you are doing 50mph [80km/h] with less than 100ft [30m] to the Give Way sign, you are going too fast."

Mr Fabb and his daughter Rachel started a petition about the crossroads which he said had gained about 10,000 signatures.

Ms Fabb said she had "a scary experience" at the junction after travelling with friends, and said a "car dashed across... without stopping" in front of them.

The council said it had plans to purchase land adjacent to the roads but said there had been "delays in the process".

"We are working towards delivering a completely new junction that includes a signalised crossing, as a longer-term solution," a council spokesperson said.

"We are making progress and the planned junction improvements will be delivered as soon as possible.

"No further intermediary works are currently planned, prior to the construction of the new junction."

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