A5 signs need improvement after deaths near Milton Keynes - coroner

The coroner said following the collision, large temporary no-entry signs were positioned at the slip road junction

Road signs need to be improved after a driver went the wrong way down a slip road causing a collision that killed two people, a coroner has said.

Milton Keynes assistant coroner Sean Cummings said Amal Mohamed Ahmed, 38, followed her sat-nav down the exit slip road onto the A5 near Milton Keynes.

Ms Ahmed died at the scene and another driver later died in hospital.

In his report, the coroner said there was a risk of future deaths unless "inadequate" signage was changed.

The fatal crash happened in November 2023. The driver of a second vehicle died later at the John Radcliffe Hospital on Oxford.

The coroner said police officers at the scene of the crash, near the village of Little Brickhill, saw three more vehicles make exactly the same mistake.

A passenger in one of the vehicles suffered life threatening and changing injuries

The coroner has written to Milton Keynes Council and National Highways sharing concerns that two no-entry signs near the junction are potentially unclear to drivers.

He said one sign appeared to forbid entry onto another road and the second was positioned in a way that would not be visible to drivers turning onto the slip road.

The report also mentioned that local residents have complained to police about drivers frequently heading down the slip road in the wrong direction.

"Drivers are clearly commonly not seeing the signs because of the large numbers who mistakenly drive the wrong way onto the slip road," said Mr Cummings.

Milton Keynes Council told the BBC that National Highways "have responsibility for the roundabout" and the nearby signage and lighting.

A National Highways spokesperson said: "Our deepest sympathies remain with the family and friends of those involved in this tragic incident."

"We have received the Coroners Regular 28 Report to Prevent Deaths and will prepare a response to meet the deadline," they added.