FRIGHTENED residents have pleaded for a cut in the speed limit on a road notorious for accidents, after the latest high speed crash wrecked the front of their homes.

The two-car smash, at Virgin's Row, close to the Duke of Wellington public house, on the A6177 Grane Road, near Haslingden, left four people hospitalised and witnesses have said those involved were lucky to be alive.

The cars were both travelling towards Haslingden and police said they are investigating the possibility that speed was a factor in the crash.

A nurse who lives in one of the neighbouring houses rushed out to give first-aid when she heard the accident, which she described as one of the worst she had ever seen.

The cars demolished the yard walls of four of the houses on Virgin's Row and caused structural damage to the front wall of an unoccupied house.

Residents are now appealing for the section of road running up to and past their homes to be reduced to 30mph. Some parts of the road have 30mph limits, but where the cars crashed on Thursday night, the limit is 50mph.

For residents Frank and Pat Galliford, who have lived in Virgin's Row for 30 years, this it is the third time out-of-control cars have smashed into their property. They say they now rarely use the front door for fear of being hit.

Frank said: "We were asleep in the back room and heard a loud bang. The times it has happened before it has been down to bad weather, but not this time. They need to cut the speed limit and get a camera here."

Pat said she had become used to the sound of car crashes. She said: "You get to know the noise, the loud bangs. But they won't do anything until somebody is killed. At 11.30pm my son could easily have been coming in."

The nurse, who did not want to be identified, said: "It was an horrendous crash, one of the worst I have ever seen. They were very lucky to be alive. I just did what I had to do. I believe the speed limit here should be 30mph."

Sgt Martin Bishop, of Pennine Traffic Division, said: "We are investigating the possibility that speed was a factor."

A Lancashire County Council spokesman said: "We are still awaiting the accident report before considering what action, if any, will be taken.

"It would be impossible to comment further without knowing the factual evidence and individual circumstances relating to the recent accident.

"When the full facts are known, LCC will give further consideration to the requests of residents in order to try and address their concerns."

The Grane Road was the subject of a Lancashire Evening Telegraph campaign when serious accidents involving motorists peaked at 28 a year in 1998.

However, £30,000-worth of investment in traffic safety measures, including reducing speed limits on some parts of the road to 50mph, has cut the number of accidents by 50 per cent.

In the three years before the scheme in 2000 there were 12 fatal accidents. Since then, there have been none, according Lancashire County Council figures.