ANXIOUS residents are calling for greater safety measures following the latest accident at a notorious blackspot.

The driver of a skip wagon was lucky to escape with minor injuries when his vehicle collided with the low railway bridge at Islands Brow, linking Haresfinch with Merton Bank Road, just after 2.30pm on Tuesday, September 7.

The impact of the wagon's hydraulic lifting equipment hitting the wall caused the cab to bounce up into the roof of the bridge trapping the driver inside. He had to be cut out of the cab by firefighters and was taken to hospital suffering from minor facial and back injuries.

Despite the installation of 20mph road signs and rumble strips to slow traffic down on the approach to the bridge, residents claim there has been no reduction in the number of accidents and fear it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed.

Father-of-three Ronnie Erlam (34) of nearby Ewart Road, Haresfinch, told the Star: "I heard the crash, ran out of the house and saw the wagon lodged under the bridge, with the cab squashed. I jumped inside the cab to see what condition the driver was in. He had suffered head and back injuries and I kept him talking until the emergency services arrived.

"Accidents, particularly involving wagons, happen here on a regular basis and something desperately needs to be done." And 69-year-old Thomas Beech, also of Ewart Road, added: "This type of thing happens nearly every week. We need more visible signs and the council should look at installing proper speed ramps rather than rumble strips.

"This has always been a treacherous stretch of road, with the stuff that comes off the burghies that causes slippery driving conditions, speeding drivers and the low bridge but it has been even worse lately with more drivers using Merton Bank Road because of roadworks in Standish Street and College Street."

However, St Helens Council say that they have spent considerable sums of money over the past 10 years improving safety on this stretch of road and, according to their figures injury accidents are well down on what they were.

A council spokesman said: "The problem is that some drivers tend to ignore the warning signs and the other measures we have put in place to try to ensure their safety. The last time we took speed measurements on this road drivers were travelling at an average speed of 38mph. The speed limit is 30mph and we advise 20mph at the bridge. It is difficult to know what else we, as a highways authority, can do. It is really down to drivers to slow down and take care."

Trains on the Liverpool/Wigan line were stopped at 2.50pm as a result of the accident and the line was re-opened at 3.25pm to slow moving trains. Seven trains were delayed for a total of 80 minutes.

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