RESIDENTS living near a "dangerous" bend in Spennymoor have renewed their call for road safety measures.

The bend on Carr Lane has been the scene of 16 accidents over the years and people living at the Kirkdale section of the lane fear it is only a matter of time before someone is killed.

They are calling on Durham County Council to extend the road safety barrier, correct the adverse camber of the lane, and install road humps to curb drivers' speed.

Their campaign has been taken up by Spennymoor Councillor Ben Ord who is calling for urgent action.

He said: "Some of the accidents which have happened have been serious and could have been fatal. This work needs carrying out urgently."

A spokesman for Durham council said that most of the drivers using the road were local residents and were aware of the need to curb speed at the bend.

He said the cost of correcting the road camber would be about £45,000, a substantial proportion of the highways maintenance budget. But highways would consider the extension to the safety barrier and add Carr Lane to a pool list for consideration about traffic calming.

He also said plans for the 750 houses at nearby Whitworth Park in Spennymoor would affect any measures the council would take.