Two cars crash on A1 during safety report filming

Media caption,

A BBC camera crew making a report on road safety filmed the crash on the A1 in Lincolnshire

  • Published

A BBC camera crew has filmed a collision between two cars while preparing a news report about road safety on the Lincolnshire stretch of the A1.

People living near junctions which cross the dual carriageway complained the road was “dangerous” following several recent collisions.

A Lincolnshire County Councillor said the A1 between Stamford and Newark needed "a motorway-type upgrade to make it far safer".

A spokesperson for National Highways said safety was a "top priority" and it would continue to keep the stretch of road "under review".

In the footage, a white Seat collided with a blue Tesla as it approached a junction on the A1 near Great Ponton.

The people in both vehicles were seen later by the BBC crew and appeared to be unharmed. The cars were moved to a safer location.

Local resident Cameron Matthews blamed the intersections where B roads cross the A1.

He said: “There’re crashes almost every day. That’s really bad there. It’s not safe to cross over."

Mike King, 80, from Colsterworth said there was an accident "every other week".

He said the vehicles diverted after crashes came through the village “with both lanes of traffic backed up as far as you could see”.

Image source, Fiona Caller
Image caption,

A local resident shared a photo of a car that crashed through her neighbour's fence

Fiona Caller, who lives next to the Great Ponton junction, shared her photos of a car that had ploughed through a neighbour’s fence. She said the family living in the house had small children who were luckily unhurt.

She said: “A few weeks ago there were four crashes there in less than a week”.

"Substantial upgrade"

Richard Davies, Lincolnshire County Council's executive councillor responsible for highways, described the stretch of the A1 as "a national level problem that needs a national level solution”.

He said: “We are the ones who are constantly dealing with the fallout from this."

He added the A1 needed a substantial upgrade: “From Stamford to Newark there are numerous accident black spots and we need to consider a motorway-type upgrade to make it far safer."

National Highways is responsible for the A1. A spokesperson said safety was its top priority.

“The A1 generally performs well on safety. Nevertheless, we are never complacent and we recognise the concern that people have expressed."

The spokesperson added: "We'll continue to keep the safety on the stretch of road under continual review and work with the local community on any future safety improvements."

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