RELATIVES of a pedestrian killed on an unlit bypass are calling for urgent safety improvements after another man was seriously injured on the same road at the weekend.

The 51-year-old man from Middlestone Moor was crossing the A688 near Low House Farm on Saturday when he was hit by a Volvo car.

He was left with a broken pelvis, severe cuts and leg injuries and is being treated at the University Hospital of North Durham where he is said to be very poorly.

News of the accident has prompted the family of a man who was killed on the road five years ago, to renew their calls for the road to be lit and pedestrian crossings installed.

Alan Russell, 61, from Willow Road, Middlestone Moor, was killed when he was struck by a Ford Mondeo as he crossed to reach a recreation area where he could walk his dog.

His brother-in-law, Peter Gallagher, said Alan's wife, Joanne, hired a solicitor after her husband's death to try to force Durham County Council to make the road safer.

Mr Gallagher, from Norton, near Stockton, said: "There have been other accidents on that road, probably not resulting in anything serious. There have been a lot of complaints, but nobody seems to be doing anything about it."

Durham County Council said there were no plans for improvements to the road, but said it would be looking at the issue again in light of the recent accident.

Police say there have been no accidents on that stretch of road involving pedestrians since 1998, but there have been seven accidents involving cars in the last four years, one of which was serious.

Spennymoor Town Council leader Coun Bill Waters added his voice to the call for improvements, claiming that with three footpaths cutting across the busy road there should at least be lights installed.

He said: "You take your life in your hands going across there in the dark. It's a very fast road."

Witnesses to the weekend accident are asked to contact the Accident Investigation Unit on (0191) 3864929.