DANGER ROAD: A588 earmarked for Government Cash to boost safety

The A588 which links Poulton to Lancaster, running through the Over Wyre villages of Hambleton, Stalmine, Preesall and Pilling, is one of 10 roads named in a Department for Transport (DfT) spending announcement.

England’s most dangerous roads are to get a £175 million funding boost to improve safety.

The 50 roads with the highest risk of fatal and serious crashes will be upgraded under the Department for Transport (DfT) plan.

The A588 has a long history of fatal accidents, claiming a dozen lives in the last 20 years.

The most recent was in September this year when a 58-year-old motorcyclist was killed in a crash between Cockerham and Pilling.

At one point the route was branded the third most dangerous road in the UK, with 89 serious or fatal accidents recorded over a 10 year period.

Lancashire County Council has carried out works to improve safety, including the introduction of a 50mph speed limit between Stalmine and Hambleton.

It said the DfT had given no instruction on what work would be carried out, merely that a pot of cash had been made available.

The authority will look at ways money could be spent

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: “We have invested heavily in road safety schemes on these roads over many years and will be taking steps to identify any safety schemes that may improve the collision record and take advantage of the prospective funding being made available by the government.”

Preston North and Wyre MP Ben Wallace welcomed the news.

He said: “The A588, Over Wyre has been a major safety concern for many years and this is a road which should benefit from the investment. I know improved road safety measures are much needed as a result of increased volumes of traffic in many areas and this extra funding must be used to address this.”