A SPATE of accidents on a major road have led to calls for speed cameras to slow motorists down.

Residents living on Roundhill Road in Haslingden say there has been a rise in accidents after a huge increase in traffic on the road.

They believe it is because speed cameras have been put up on Grane Road, meaning drivers now use Roundhill Road to travel between towns including Blackburn and Manchester.

Graham Jones, Haslingden and Hyndburn MP, has written to Lancashire County Council raising serious safety concerns and requesting speed cameras are put in place on Roundhill Road.

Mr Jones said: “I wrote to Roundhill Road residents back in November concerned about the growing number of heavy goods vehicles using the road, despite the unsuitable road layout.

“After reaching out, I was contacted by concerned residents who spoke of a significant increase in accidents on Roundhill Road, after a huge increase in traffic.

“They said this was because speed cameras have been added to Grane Road, meaning drivers now use Roundhill Road instead.”

Average speed cameras designed to cut accidents on the notorious Grane Road, which runs from Belthorn to Haslingden, were installed in 2017. The road had seen two people killed and 118 injured, 13 seriously, in a seven-year period.

Mr Jones now wants to see speed cameras on Roundhill Road. He added: “Action is needed from the county council to tackle this serious problem, for the safety of residents and drivers.”

But Angie Ridgewell, chief executive and director of resources at the county council, said Roundhill Road was not prioritised for inclusion in a programme for improvements to main roads in the county with poor casualty records.

She said: “These roads were selected based on their safety records and will complement the existing eight sections of roads already treated by average speed cameras. Unfortunately Roundhill Road was not prioritised for inclusion in this programme. The Speed Management Group, which is a partnership between us and the police, will consider the information provided, along with the casualty record, speed of vehicles, and other local factors to determine what other action, if any, we can take for this road. We will publish the proposed programme for 2019/20 later this month.”

She also said that a traffic survey will be carried out at Roundhill Road near the junction with Rising Bridge Road to assess the current volume of HGVs and cars using the route.