Accident blackspot safety call after double wall crash

THERE have been calls for urgent safety measures at an accident blackspot after two cars smashed through a stone wall, just days after it had been repaired from a previous crash.

Residents near the site say they have been appealing for safety measures and fear that someone will be killed or seriously injured if nothing is done.

The accident in Elm Row in Lasswade, Midlothian, saw several people taken to hospital after a Jaguar and a Saab ploughed through the stone wall at the edge of the bridge over the River Esk.

A village resident, who arrived at the scene shortly after the accident at noon on Saturday, but did not want to be named, said: “The wall had just been fixed a few days ago, I think from a previous crash. There’s a real problem of reckless driving and speeding right through the village, but to drive fast there is madness because of the sharp bend in the road.

“I saw a Jaguar whose front almost looked like it had been broken off. It was in smithereens and this whole wall had crumbled into a pile of rubble.

“Another car behind it, a Saab, had also been smashed to smithereens.

“An ambulance took people away. By the looks of the cars, it must be quite serious. It’s good luck that they didn’t go straight into the Esk.” She said the cars had ploughed straight into the wall, knocking rubble all over the pavement behind it.

She added: “If a pedestrian had been walking along that bridge, they could be very seriously injured, if not killed.”

Bonnyrigg councillor Bob Constable said he had already been calling for measures to encourage motorists to drop their speed along the road.

He said: “That bridge has been damaged a couple of times – it’s just recently been repaired. I’ve been trying to call for a speed warning sign up at the top of the road, coming into the village.

“The three elected members of the ward had a meeting with the police about traffic calming through Bonnyrigg last year.

“It’s such a busy road, with buses, that physical traffic calming isn’t really possible, but I definitely feel inclined to push for a flashing speed sign.

“I’m going to get a report from the police first of all about this crash and see what caused it. Speed may not be a factor.”

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said the incident had been attended by three ambulances and a rapid response car, and at least three people had been taken to hospital. No details of their injuries were available.