Work is under way to introduce a road safety scheme on a notorious stretch of road in rural North Northumberland.
The B6348 at Bellshill has seen a number of collisions in recent years. The narrow road leaves the A1 and is closely flanked by stone walls.
The increase in traffic in recent years as visitors head to the likes of Wooler and the Cheviots means there have been a number of crashes with cars and vans hitting the walls. Coun Guy Renner Thompson, who represents the area as part of the Bamburgh ward on Northumberland County Council, has put forward £3,000 to get a safety scheme started.
He said: “This road is getting busier with people turning off at the ‘Bellshill Pillars’ just north of Adderstone to head to Chatton, Wooler and the Cheviots.
“There have been a lot of accidents with cars and vans coming off the road and hitting the walls at high speed. Luckily nobody has been hurt yet but the walls on the road edge have had to be rebuilt multiple times.
“It’s not a case of when there will be a serious accident – I would say cars and vans ploughing through an eight foot wall is a serious accident. People coming from the Chatton direction go too fast and don’t see the bends coming.
“I don’t think we will get a reduction in the speed limit as that can be quite complicated to do, but we need some gateway signs and some ‘slow’ marking on the road.”
Data from Northumbria Police shows that there have been three collisions reported to police on the road in recent years, with one involving a motorbike deemed as serious. However, Coun Renner Thompson said there had been a number of other incidents that hadn’t been reported to the police.
Northumberland County Council officers are currently surveying the speed of traffic using the road. Design drawings will then be completed later this year.