Call for safety upgrades after crashes at accident blackspots on A47

The crash happened at Wansford at about 2.45pm on Sunday, and involved three cars and a lorry.

Another crash happened on the A47 at Thorney Toll at almost exactly the same time, leaving one woman with minor injuries.

The stretch of road at Wansford has seen a number of serious accidents in the past, including the crash in 2013 which killed couple Stephen and Samantha Durber.

Plans to turn the stretch into a dual carriageway have already been agreed - but following the latest crash, North West Cambridgeshire MP Shailesh Vara said it was vital to get the works carried out on the road soon.

He said: “It is awful to see yet more accidents along the A47 and my thoughts are with all those who were injured or affected over the weekend.

“All parties involved must now come together to ensure that the necessary developments are made and the A47 becomes a safe and reliable transport link for local people.”

The A47 at Wansford was closed following the accident, and police, fire and ambulance - including the air ambulance all attended. The two injured motorists were taken to Peterborough City Hospital by land ambulance.

A police spokesman said at least one person had suffered ‘serious ‘ injuries.

A 14 mile diversion was put in place while investigations were carried out and the wreckage was cleared away.

The road was also closed at Thorney Toll.

The plans to dual the A47 were agreed in August last year.

The road will be dualled between Wansford and Sutton, as part of improvements across the A47 between Peterborough and Norwich.

In total, 2.5km of the road will be turned into a dual carriageway, with Highways England saying works are set to start in 2020, and finish a year later, with the scheme set to cost between £50 million and £100 million.

In June Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough James Palmer called for the upgrade to be done as soon as possible following a fatal crash involving a bus and a lorry at Thorney Toll which saw two people killed.

Following the fatal crash he said: “The road is known for being very dangerous, a problem not helped by the fact that more than half of it is single carriageway.”

Samantha and Stephen Durber were driving on the A47 at Wansford with son, three year old Lucas, in the back, when they were hit by a car driven by Debra Weston. Lucas was seriously hurt, while his parents were killed.

Weston was jailed for a year after admitting two counts of causing death by careless driving.

The lorry and bus crash happened in June this year, with bus driver Michael Elcombe (45) and passenger Brian Chapman (75) killed. A police investigation is still ongoing, and no arrests have been made.