RESIDENTS are increasingly concerned about road safety in a Wiltshire village following a string of accidents including a fatal car crash last month.

The A4361 main road linking Beckhampton and Wroughton passes through Winterbourne Monkton where the speed limit is 60mph. Children have to cross the road to catch the school bus while walkers and villagers cross and recross the road despite the heavy traffic.

Parish councillors are leading a campaign to slow traffic by introducing a 30mph speed limit.

"People are in mortal danger," said Cllr Gary Higgins, "as we have two very dangerous junctions leading out of the village. Cars will overtake at these junctions. There's also a very dangerous dip as you go towards Berwick Bassett with hidden bends. It is appauling that no one takes any notice."

Parish chair Jill Petchy said three people had died on the stretch of road with 'innumerable near misses.'

She said: "We had two motorcyclists killed in a head-on collision. It is speed but also road markings so people overtake travelling south when there is a turning where a head-on collision could happen. People have to walk along the road to Avebury while people cross the road from the Ridgeway, and visitors don't realise how dangerous the road is."

Cllr Neil Kirk said: "The speed of the traffic is faster than the 1950s when the road coped but it is the volume now that is an issue. My children have had to cross the road to catch the school bus in the dark with cars coming at 60mph or faster through the village. You have four seconds to spot a vehicle coming at you at the cross roads in order to join the traffic in your car."

The speed limit must be changed said Cllr Lyn Bennett-Nutt who said something had to happen before another person was killed in the village.

Another issue raised by the residents was the growth of traffic due to new homes being built and businesses expanding in the village with heavy lorries passing through.

Cllr Petchy has the parish council were advised by Highways that any changes to the speed limit would require a traffic survey which would be prohibitively expensive for the village. The last survey was five years ago and was done at a quite time.

The residents said that they would like to see a pavement through the village connecting to Avebury with room for bicycles as it would encourage more people off the main road.