Families plea for road safety improvements near Thornton estate after near-miss with car

People living on the Hawley Gardens estate near the former ICI site owned by NPL Group say that they have been waiting more than eight years for Bourne Road to be improved and made safer.

They say they were promised that the road would be improved by house builder Barratt Homes and adopted, but nothing has been done making it dangerous to walk along especially in the dark.

Lancashire County Councillor Andrea Kay is supporting the residents and said that a new path is needed and better lighting on Bourne Road.

One of the residents Lindsay Gemmell,said: “My partner, children and I were walking along there last week and a car missed us by just a few metres when it came off the road in the evening.

“It is not safe, the road should have been adopted and improved by now, it needs better lighting, the existing path is far too narrow and we could do with safety barriers like they have outside schools.

is supposed to be 20mph but lorries and cars fly down there and there are young children living on the estate. People want speed bumps putting in and the bushes there need cutting back too.

“We have been here almost nine years and nothing had been done. Barratt promised to do the road as well as a play area and a path down to the river, but none of it has been done.”

County Coun Andrea Kay said: “Why should families have to take their lives in their hands going to and from their homes? I have had so many reports of HGVs and vehicles going far too fast there.

“We need a proper two metre wide footpath, lighting and enforceable speed limits. There are lay-bys there that we don’t need, replace them with a proper path. This has been going on far too long and the parties involved need to get it started.”

A spokesman for Barratt Homes Manchester said: “The owner of Bourne Road, NPL Estates will be putting in place measures to restrict traffic speeds, including commissioning spot checks to catch vehicles who are still speeding.

“Whilst we await the necessary legal agreements in order to undertake improvement works to Bourne Road, a contractor will be appointed in readiness. Remediation works to the park area are currently under way and the park is expected to be completed by the summer.

“We would like to apologise to residents for any inconvenience caused during this time and reassure them that their safety is our number one priority.”

NPL has said drivers going to the industrial estate have been warned and staff will do spot checks with speed guns and ban drivers if necessary.

They added that a meeting will be held on January 28 to timetable work on the road and the play park area will be completed by spring.