Campaigners in 'constant fear' fight to make road safer

Local resident Peter Bate and councillor Scilla Barney say the section of the A39 between Bratton and Selworthy is "especially dangerous"

Local residents are campaigning to reduce the speed limit on what they call an "extremely unsafe" section of road.

They said more needs to be done because there are "too many accidents and fatalities happening on the A39" between Minehead and Porlock in Somerset.

The campaign aims to decrease the speed limit by 10mph and aims to improve signage and update road markings to discourage drivers from overtaking on blind bends.

Somerset Council said it is "always happy to look into concerns communities raise about road safety".

Local resident, Peter Bate, and member of the Minehead and Selworthy Without Parish Council, Scilla Barney, described the risk of the road as "immense".

Ms Barney added: "We must do something, we owe it to the people who have died on this stretch of the road".

There have been a number of recent incidents on the A39, including a four car crash near Tivington on 22 June.

Avon and Somerset Police said at the time that the collision resulted in minor injuries and appealed for witnesses to come forward.

Last year, the speed limit was reduced from 60mph to 50mph between Bratton and Selworthy - the part of the road that those campaigning are hoping to further decrease to 40mph.

Mr Bate, who lives on the road, said something needs to be done and that he lives with a "constant feeling of fear and grief".

He added: "The A39 is an unforgiving road.

"People often blame the drivers most of the time but the reality is that this road has got a lot of blind bends where when you pull out you cannot see what's coming if it's travelling at more than 30 or 40mph."

Mr Bate said another problem comes as a result of the road markings as he said people often "overtake in both directions".

In response to the campaign, a spokesperson for Somerset Council said: "We would encourage parish and town councils to contact their local Somerset Council member and ask them to raise the matter with our Traffic Management Team."