Residents in heritage village call for more speed signs

RESIDENTS of a 'stone henge' village say it is a 'death trap' as cars keep crashing - because it is protected and they 'aren't allowed proper speed signs.

- STAFF REPORTER

Residents in World Heritage Site Avebury say the spate of accidents including three deaths in two years - is because of a lack of signage.

Officials try to minimise the number and size of road signs in "areas of special landscape value" because they can detract from natural beauty and character.

And locals in Avebury say because of its heritage status they have the 'bare minimum' number of road and speed signs which is leading to accidents.

The Wiltshire village has a Neolithic henge monument and is one of the best-known prehistoric sites in Britain and recently voted the most picturesque.

It contains the largest megalithic stone circle in the world and is both a tourist attraction and a place of religious importance to modern pagans.

But residents want to reduce speeding or increase signage following recent crashes on the A4361 which runs through it.

Dubbed a 'deathtrap' by some, cyclists have lost their lives on the road and just last month three cars were left badly damaged after a crash.

Wiltshire Council said it conducted a speed limit review in 2019 and reduced the limit outside Avebury to 50mph. Following the review, the decision was made to keep the speed limit within the village at 30mph.

But residents say they are 'scared' over traffic as it is 'waiting for a tragedy to happen'.

Mike Daniel, who runs a bed and breakfast on the road, said there's people speeding, overtaking and going too fast but "no safety measures" in place.

He said: "Because it is a World Heritage Site they have tried to limit the signage - but safety has to come before that.