More lives are at risk, warns MP

Calls are growing for urgent safety improvements to the A1/A46 junction at Newark.

They follow a six-vehicle crash on the A1 northbound in which a 52-year-old man died.

Police yesterday named him as Mr Ian Newell, of Grantham.

Although the accident is still being investigated, a petition calling on Highways England to improve safety at the junctions and ease congestion on the A1 had yesterday attracted more than 2,400 signatures.

The MP for Newark, Mr Robert Jenrick, warned more lives would be lost unless there were “serious improvements” to the road.

He said: “It was another really horrible, horrific and tragic accident. This is a situation that can no longer be allowed to continue.

“I have consistently raised this with the police and Highways England, who have investigated the scene and reviewed what measures they might be able to take.

“The time has come for serious improvements to the slip-roads and the safety of the A1 around Newark or more lives will undoubtedly be lost.

“I have written to Transport Secretary Chris Grayling highlighting the tragic loss of life and asking him to ensure that some meaningful measures are put in place as soon as possible.

“The slip-roads need to be completely redesigned, which is a major job, and that is why lesser measures have been taken instead.

“When people are dying on a regular basis I just don’t think we can ignore the situation, even if it means considerable disruption while works are being carried out.

“For anyone who lives in and around Newark the A1 is part of their daily lives.

“We have had assurances of improvements like changes in the speed limit, better signage, variable speed limits and changes to the lights but at the end of the day none of those measures are enough to take the right course of action, which is that the slip-roads are too short and there needs to be a re-working of the whole area.

“It’s very frustrating because it has been going on for several years.”

'Something has got to be done'

The petition calling for safety improvements was set up by Miss Amiee Fletcher, a self-employed cleaner, of Balderton.

She said something had to be done to prevent further fatalities.

“We were hoping everyone (involved in the accident) was going to be OK but tragically they weren’t,” she said.

It does affect people and they do get upset by it, so something has got to be done.

“It is an absolute death-trap, that stretch between Fernwood and Muskham.

“There is often queueing on the slip-roads at Newark. You come up the A1 and all of a sudden you see cars queued up on the road.”

Miss Fletcher said she did not expect so many signatures on her petition.

“People are upset about it and they want things to change,” she said.

The petition can be signed here.

The accident, which happened at 7.55am, caused long tailbacks on the A1 and through Newark.

A spokesman for Highways England said: “First and foremost our thoughts and sympathies are with those affected by the incident.

“We constantly review the safety on all of our roads and continue to work alongside local stakeholders to identify issues that require attention.”