Call for action after car crashes into wall on 'horrific road'

RESIDENTS are demanding a lower speed limit on a dangerous road after a series of drivers lost control and ploughed into their garden walls.

Jilly and Rick Adam were woken at 1am yesterday when the latest accident to happen on Carberry Road, between Musselburgh and Whitecraig, saw a car overturn and destroy the wall beside their home. The male driver was trapped in the car and firefighters had to cut him free, but he was not seriously injured.

Mrs Adam, 43, a veterinary nurse, said a similar crash had happened in the same spot just three-and-a-half weeks ago.

She said yesterday's crash was the 44th to happen on the quarter-mile stretch of the A6124 in nine years, including one fatal accident. More than 60 residents have joined a group calling for new safety measures.

She said: "We heard a tremendous bang at about 1am. When we got up, we realised the car had ploughed through the wall. There was debris hitting the kitchen window. The wheel of the car is still embedded in our garden wall.

"This is a horrific road. There was another accident on this road three-and-a-half weeks ago. At 2pm a car ploughed into a tree on the other side of the road. One of my neighbours has had her wall knocked down twice in two years. This happens on a regular basis.

"Everyone who lives on this stretch of road is really concerned. There's a huge bend that causes a lot of accidents."

She said they would like to see the speed limit reduced from 60mph, with signs warning drivers to slow down.

A police report showed that 42 accidents had taken place there since 1999 – but this does not include the two latest ones. A driver was killed following a crash near a farm at Carberry Mains in 2005.

Mrs Adam's neighbour, Raymond Weir, 56, said they were writing to East Lothian Council's chief executive and the chief constable of Lothian and Borders Police to call for something to be done. Around 60 villagers attended a recent public meeting about the road.

He said: "The biggest problem is that road is used as a rat-run for trucks. Some of them come down it at incredible speeds. A lot of people think the creation of the Dalkeith Bypass will help, but I think most of them will continue using this route.

"It's made worse by the fact that the pavement has almost completely eroded in parts. Lots of people won't risk walking down it. The police report shows the number of accidents, but it doesn't show the high number of near misses."

No-one from Lothian and Borders Police was able to comment.