A COUPLE living on a road blighted by crashes are hitting out against the council for not gritting the road – despite claiming countless collisions have spanned decades.

Andrew and Caroline Bradbury have lived in Puddlebridge for nearly 40 years and say they have lost count of how many crashes have taken place on their road.

Mrs Bradbury said: “Every time you hear that thud, and you don’t know what’s happened, you get a horrible sinking feeling in your stomach.

"You know there’s been a crash, but you’re almost too scared to look.

"You worry about the people in the car and what the damage is going to be like. It’s an accident blackspot and we don’t want it to be left until there is a fatality until something is done.”

The speed limit on the stretch of road is 60mph, with an advisory speed limit of 40mph on the bend, while the adjacent straight on the A303 has a 50mph speed restriction.

The couple also own a cottage across the road from the house they live which also gets damaged by drivers who have taken the bend too fast.

An Avon and Somerset Police spokesman confirmed officers were called to Puddlebridge at 8.30am on Thursday, December 28, and referred the incident to Somerset County Council because of the ice.

Mrs Bradbury said: “In the winter the fear is the black ice and for the rest of the year it’s the speed.

"My husband stands on the side of the road trying to slow people down – that’s putting ourselves in danger.

"If he hadn’t jumped out the way he would have been hit. What we need is a compulsory speed limit and for the road to be gritted.”

Mr Bradbury said he signals to drivers in a bid to get them to slow down. He said: “We’ve contacted the council about the speed and the ice many times but get nowhere.

“A car can drive faster through here than they can on the bypass.”

Councillor Linda Vijeh, who represents the area on Somerset County Council, would welcome the road being added to the gritting route but said balancing resources is a challenge the authority faces.

She said: “The road is often used as a main road so, if possible, it would be good to add it to the gritting route. But it’s about finding a balance with resources and time.

“Sometimes it’s not the whole road that is the problem, it can be a section of the road, so one solution might be to have volunteers treating the road from gritting bins.”

A county council spokesman said it treats more than 870 miles of roads and aims to keep the busiest routes clear.

He said: “Unfortunately we do not have the resources to treat every road and prioritise roads that link towns, villages and hospitals, communities on high ground and important strategic routes for long distance travel.

“Each year a review of the network is undertaken and in partnership with national guidelines we then identify the routes that require treatment.” This review includes any additional requests made on behalf of residents by their Parish Councils.

Further information concerning our allocated routes can be found at travelsomerset.co.uk/gritting.”