RESIDENTS and businesses have called for action to be taken on a notoriously dangerous road on which two men were killed.

A driver and his passenger died when their silver Peugeot 106 veered off the A44 in Cotheridge early yesterday morning and hit a tree.

Two years ago the road was named by the AA as one of the top 10 accident blackspots in the UK.

Now locals have had enough and are demanding that the speed limit is dropped from 60mph to 40mph and that speed limits are put in place. Kevin Mahon, of Church Lane, Cotheridge, passed the Peugeot just moments after it crashed.

He said: "I was on my way home from work and I stopped to see if I could help but two other cars were already there.

"The car looked a real mess, and I could see that it didn't look good for the driver. It must have just happened as the emergency services weren't there.

"It doesn't surprise me that someone has died. I'd say an average of one car a fortnight is pulled out of hedges along that road.

"They just fly down there and then suddenly come to a bend and they don't have time to slow down."

The latest accident happened at 12.15am on Friday. The two men have still yet to be formally identified.

Businesses from Cother-idge have also added their voice of concern.

Simon Hughes, manager of the nursery section of Laylocks Nurseries, said: "It is a dangerous road and a lot more needs to be done to slow people down.

"Go slow signs were put up just a couple of weeks ago but it is not enough. I have been working here for 21 years now and there have been quite a few crashes in that time."

A fitter at the ground maintenance firm RE Daniel, which is located just opposite where the accident took place, called for speed cameras at the site.

Martin Emson said: "They should bring the speed down to 40mph and put a camera there - that is the only way to stop accidents and to slow people down. It is sad that two people have died - but it was always going to happen."

Trevor McAvoy, project manager for the West Mercia Safety Camera Partnership, said he would be happy to talk to the police and to Worcestershire County Council about the A44 in Cotheridge.

He said: "At the moment that stretch of the road is not listed as a priority, but after this incident, I would be more than happy to discuss measures with the police and council, whose responsibility this is."