THESE images show the aftermath of a car crash at a 'dangerous' junction which happened as more than 1,000 children left a nearby high school.
Two cars crashed at the junction of the B4211 Upton to Malvern road at the junction of Church End and Severn End in Hanley Castle on Friday (March 8) at around 3.45pm, near Hanley Castle High School.
The incident, which follows a fatal crash nearby in January, has prompted fresh calls from residents, the parish council and the high school for the speed limit to be reduced.
Christopher Baker, of Church End, said the crash happened as students left Hanley Castle High School.
A navy Daihatsu Materia being driven from Upton to Malvern was in collision with a silver Peugeot turning right out of Church End, heading for Upton.
West Mercia Police had no record of the incident and Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service were not called to the crash.
However, the collision follows another, more serious crash in Hanley Castle when a 37-year-old man died and another was seriously injured on the B4211 Worcester Road at The Rhydd near Hanley Castle at 5.30am on Tuesday, January 23.
A man has since been arrested for causing death by dangerous driving.
Mr Baker said: "The Daihatsu car finished up in the hedge at the entrance to Severn End and the Peugeot on the grass verge facing in the direction of Upton. Damage was caused to both cars with the Daihatsu being recovered and towed away later.
"During school drop off in the morning and afternoon pick up this junction of roads is extremely busy with traffic movements at the rate of one vehicle every two seconds crossing the junction."
In February he presented a traffic study to the Hanley Castle Parish Council meeting.
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He added: "The parish council along with Hanley Castle High School and residents of Church End, Severn End and Bowling Green are resolute in wanting to achieve improved road traffic safety at this junction and through Hanley Castle in general for all road users, pedestrians, school traffic through traffic residents and visitors to Hanley Castle. This latest accident is the catalyst to get those improvements made."
Pippa Barkley of Hanley Castle Parish Council said: "At school times especially it is a particularly dangerous junction.
"We are determined to continue to campaign for this speed limit to be reduced for safety reasons and we would urge all motorists to be more patient and considerate at these school times of the day and to remember that it is a very busy area and accidents can easily happen."
A spokesperson for Hanley Castle High Schools said: "As a school we are very aware of the dangers at the beginning and the end of the school day on the junction of the B4211 and Church End.
"Thankfully, on this occasion, nobody was seriously hurt in the collision, although it serves as a poignant reminder of the risks that our community face, particularly during the busy collection period at the end of the day.
"The nature of our school catchment means that a significant proportion of our families travel to school by car. Whilst we are continually working in partnership with our parents and local residents, there is little else that we can do to reduce the volume of traffic at key points during the day.
"Our most recent correspondence with the County Highways team, following a collision in September 2023 on the B4211, led to a visit to the school site in November.
"Regrettably, the outcome of this meeting was very disappointing. We were informed that the 40mph speed limit is “correct in terms of criteria set by the Department for Transport to ensure that such local speed limits are effective in the absence of enforcement.”
"We intend to contact them again to explore the possibility of reassessing the situation in light of yet another accident, in the hope they may reconsider this position."
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