Another crash on death road

A motorist lost control of his Honda Prelude and bounced off safety barriers then the central reservation as he headed westbound at around 6pm on November 6.

He finally came to rest by slamming into two parked cars outside Gilbert House - the spot of two fatal crashes in as many months, the last being in February.

On that occasion,, 25-year-old Stuart Doe was killed when his speeding car left the road, careered down the bank and smashed into Gilbert House, injuring shocked residents Jackie and Graham Carpenter.

A Fatal Accident Investigation report following that crash recommended a raft of safety measures for King Offa Way, including a speed camera and a safety barrier to protect properties and pedestrians using footpaths.

It said the cobbled area preceeding the layby in front of Gilbert House could act as a 'launch pad' for speeding vehicles leaving the road.

The news was a victory for the Bexhill Observer's Safety Barriers Now Campaign, which was supported by MP Greg Barker.

But six months on nothing has been done.

Furious residents are now demanding action to prevent further tragedies.

Gilbert House resident David Gilbert, said: "We were very lucky not to have had another tragedy here. That car could so easily have end up careering down that bank and into the flats again. I was driving home when I saw the police and ambulance and just prayed it wasn't my family.

"The next time it could be my wife and son or a child walking along the footpath when it happens. The investigation report said it was unsafe and recommended all these measures yet nothing has happened and we've been told nothing.

"People are already having trouble selling their flats because of the danger. We need the barriers and we need them now."

King Offa Way has been the scene of 14 injury accidents in the last two years, the most common cause being that the 40mph limit is constantly ignored.

While further up the road pedestrian access areas are protected with concrete barriers and metal railings, there is no protection for residents of Gilbert house or pedestrians using the footpath in front of the flats.

The motorist in last Thursday's crash was uninjured. Police say the man, who is middle-aged, has been reported for an alleged speeding offence.

The Observer approached the Highways Agency's press office on Monday demanding answers but by the time of going to press they had failed to come back despite numerous reminders. They said they would try and provide a statement in time for next week's Observer.

MP Greg Barker, who took up the barriers cause in February, said: "I am utterly appalled that the Highways Agency, having agreed that there is a clear need for safety improvement, has not yet granted the money needed to improve this road. Public money comes out of local people's taxes, and should be available to fund urgently needed schemes like this.

"Yet again the government is robbing Kent and Sussex, to divert resources elsewhere. When lives are at stake, this is utterly disgraceful. All are agreed on the need for improvements.

"I will now take this matter up to the highest level, the secretary of state for transport, who needs to answer to this disgraceful state of affairs."