Householders say road chiefs are underplaying danger

Residents have accused road chiefs and the police of underplaying the danger on a road they say has been the scene of 14 crashes in six years.

Householders in Walton Bridge Road in Shepperton are demanding measures to slow down traffic following the latest accident in October when a car smashed into the garden of Malcolm Atkin.

They say 10 years ago the street was the scene of a fatal motorbike accident and want action taken before someone is killed. However, Surrey Police say they don't have a record of it because the area was under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Police at the time.

Crashes are only measured by police when an injury is suffered - and by this criteria they say there's only been three crashes in six years. But residents claim the statistics don't tell the whole story.

Mr Atkin said: "The camber is extremely dangerous and the bend comes after a long straight. We have been told the three accidents occurred in wet weather but there is more to it than that - people simply go round too fast and lose control.

"I was told by a police officer I was being ridiculous when I said there had been a fatality, but neighbours have assured me there was and one said he picked a guy's foot up from the street - that's not something you're likely to forget. It really is a lot more dangerous than they're trying to make out."

At a Surrey County Council Local Committee for Spelthorne meeting last month, highways officers said any work to rectify the camber of the bend, the residents' main concern, would probably be incorporated into the redesign of nearby Walton Bridge.

However, this is not set to be completed until 2012, a timescale residents say is unacceptable.

Despite the council's pledge to also install additional chevrons, road markings, 'slippery road' signs and reflecting bollards, Mr Atkin said: "It seems only the minority is being done and it is increasingly obvious to me they can only act on statistics.

"But statistics can lie and three is not the true number of accidents here."