Council to look at A339 accident blackspot

Officers to look into scene of A339 crash following years of incidents at same spot

A STRETCH of the A339 on Basingstoke Road near Newbury notorious for incidents is to be investigated by council officers.

Last Wednesday (June 8), a four-vehicle collision between a tractor, a white van and two cars resulted in injuries to three passengers, with two having to be cut out of the cars by fire crews leaving the road closed for several hours.

This week the West Berkshire Council executive member for highways, David Betts (Con, Purley-on-Thames) said it was important for communities to come forward if they believed their roads were unsafe.

“We monitor all accident areas where there are significant injuries and damage,” he said.

“It is one we will be discussing with officers.

“It is always good to get information and get a record of all accidents, that is what we work from.”

Wednesday's crash was the latest in a string of non-fatal and fatal incidents at the blackspot over the years.

As recently as June a 55-year old man died after being struck by an articulated lorry near the Aldern Bridge, Newtown, and in September 2009 a car was flipped on its roof near the Swan and Newbury College roundabouts.

Two crashes in two months also saw the road near the Swan roundabout closed twice in 2007.