New calls to reopen Shotesham Ford after driver drowned trying to cross
It was shut following the death of Barry Howard, 75, whose car was swept away as he tried to drive across when the river was high
Council officials are coming under growing pressure to reopen a village ford which has been closed for six months after a motorist drowned there.
Shotesham Parish Council is urging Norfolk County Council to reinstate the route through the River Tas which links the village to the nearby A140.
It has been shut since December following the death of Barry Howard, 75, whose car was swept away as he tried to drive across when the river was swollen and fast flowing.
Norfolk County Council will not decide whether to reopen the crossing until the conclusion of an inquest into Mr Howard’s death next month.
Jeff Gough, the clerk at Shotesham Parish Council, said the village “would like to see it open” again soon.
“We have expressed very emphatically that the ford should remain part of the highway,” he added.
Parish councillors have suggested several new safety measures at the crossing, which Norfolk County Council say is “unsafe”.
These include new signage, electronic sensors to monitor water levels, and barriers.
Mr Howard was heading home from a football match on the evening of December 13 when he tried to drive across the ford.
His body was recovered the following morning after his Toyota Yaris was discovered.
Some locals have called for the crossing – which curves gradually and has a steep drop on one side – to be permanently closed to traffic amid fears there will be more fatalities.
The inquest into Mr Howard’s death was opened by area coroner Samantha Goward at Norfolk Coroner’s Court on December 28.