Parents' anger at safety delay

7:53pm Friday 12th January 2007

THE parents of a man who died in a smash at a notorious junction have hit out after a £650,000 safety scheme was delayed.

Lancashire County Council has already approved the spending of £50,000 to buy three areas of land at the Britannia crossroads in Oswaldtwistle to build the "life-saving" roundabout.

But the scheme has hit delays. Although the money is in place there have been problems with acquiring the land.

The council has been under pressure to improve safety at the junction following the death of 20-year-old Robert Jamieson, from Kingsmead, Knuzden, in February 2005.

Robert, a second year architecture student at Salford University, died after a collision involving his Peugeot 106 and a bus carrying pupils from Rhyddings High School, Oswaldtwistle.

Robert's parents, Bob and Susan Jamieson, have long campaigned for safety changes to be made at the junction.

Mr Jamieson hit out at the delays saying: "How long will the compulsory purchase orders take? It has now been nearly two years since my son died and we are still procrastinating."

Speaking about the campaign to build a roundabout at the site he added: "Something has to be done and the roundabout will hopefully prevent anyone else from losing their life at this terrible junction."

The crossroads is at the junction of Lottice Lane and Haslingden Road.

A county council spokesman said that preliminary design work on the roundabout scheme has been completed and it was now necessary to purchase land around the site needed for the project.

Although there have been delays it is not thought to affect the project in the long-term.

It is thought that construction could begin as soon as February, two years after Robert's death.

The council said consultation with residents would be completed before any design plans are finalised.

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