REGARDING your report on the mini-roundabout to be made at the junction of Sandy Lane and Branch Road, Lower Darwen (LET, January 20). Once again, the incompetence of the highways department is only surpassed by its arrogance.

The spokesman for the council cited 15 accidents in five years. If a roundabout was placed at every road junction which had a similar number of accidents we would all, like the council, be going round in circles and getting nowhere.

A much simpler and cheaper way would be to erect a 'stop' or 'give way' sign and, of course, using a little of the white road marking material to enhance the faded lines of the junction.

Last year, a dangerous bend on Stopes Brow was made even more dangerous because the kerb line had to be pushed further into the highway because 'planners' had allowed a builder to erect a brick wall which obscured the view of the motorists joining the road.

A little more care with the planning application would have avoided this situation.

W J BOOTH, Higher Croft Road, Lower Darwen, Blackburn.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.