A vehicle was left upturned and partially submerged in a ditch besides a notorious road after sliding off a slippery road into a rhyne near Burnham-On-Sea on Tuesday (December 9th).
The accident along Harp Road, close to Brent Knoll, immediately prompted renewed calls for safety improvements following many similar incidents during recent years.
Fire crews from Burnham, along with police and ambulances, rushed to the scene at 12.15pm after being alerted by a motorist dialling 999 on a mobile phone.
Fire spokesman Paul Slavin told Burnham-On-Sea.com on Tuesday: “There were initially fears that two children had been trapped upside down in the water but everyone was out of the vehicle when we arrived.”
An ambulance spokesman added to Burnham-On-Sea.com: “A lady was treated for minor injuries at the scene.”
Just eight weeks ago, Burnham-On-Sea.com reported here how a Vauxhall had ploughed into a nearby rhyne after its driver lost control of his vehicle as he negotiated a bend. The car ended up on its side, partially submerged in water. There have been several other accidents along Harp Road in recent years, including two in just 12 hours last October.
District Councillor Bob Filmer, who represents Brent Knoll, has long campaigned for safety improvements along the road. He told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “For many years both Mark and Brent Knoll Parish Councils have called for speed limits and safety measures along this road. Do we really have to wait for even more serious accidents to occur before safety improvements are implemented?”
Somerset County Council has previously said that there are not enough properties along the road to justify a 30mph restriction. Tuesday’s incident came just a few weeks after a similar incident at Lympsham and another at Mark.
