A tiny hamlet is home to an accident blackspot where there have been 40 crashes in the past three decades.
The quaint village of Little Almshoe in Hertfordshire has seen its tranquil scenery violently disturbed by a spate of car crashes – with five incidents this year alone.
Pensioner Paul Pinkstone’s cottage is on the frontline of the smashes with the 70-year-old often being the first person to attend to the injured while waiting for an ambulance.
Mr Pinkstone, who has lived at the property for 30 years, said change was needed as many of the accidents, he says, would be avoidable with better signage.
Cars are usually left written off and crumpled at the roadside, with police, ambulance and fire rescue services in regular attendance.
In one particularly harrowing case, the former owner of a knitting company left his home to find someone trapped in their car waiting for emergency services to arrive.
And the crashes have also brought with them an unwelcome financial burden with the pensioner having to spend thousands of pounds fixing damaged fences.
Mr Pinkstone, who is campaigning alongside other local residents, said: ‘The signage is poor, one sign isn’t clearly visible and the painting of the road markings has eroded.
Pensioner Paul Pinkstone’s, who lives in the quaint village of Little Almshoe in Hertfordshire, has witnessed a spate of car crashes – with five incidents this year alone – on his quiet street
A crash involving two cars outside Mr Pinkstone’s home. The 70-year-old who has lived at the property for 30 years, said change was needed as many of the accidents, he says, would be avoidable with better signage
‘I hear the accidents happen and go out to check. Normally when you’re at the scene, you feel okay.
‘But you do think about it when you go home. In a recent crash, somebody was trapped in a car and we had to wait for the specialist fire teams to cut them out.’
The B656 road links Hitchin, with the crossroads two miles south of the town, and Welwyn – and has a 60mph speed limit.
Drivers travelling east to west, from country lanes, must give way to traffic in Little Almshoe.
But poor visibility of road markings, and the national speed limit, lead to some drivers not realising they have to give way as the roads cross.
Mr Pinkstone has to pay out between £1,000 to £5,000 each time his fence is damaged.
He has been able to claim from his house insurance but said his premium and excess had been affected.
Speaking on behalf of residents in the area, he explained: ‘Once, my fencing contractor phoned me up and asked if I wanted a quote – there had been another accident.
Mr Pinkstone inspect damage to his fence. The crashes have brought with them an unwelcome financial burden with the pensioner having to spend thousands of pounds fixing damaged fences
A bad crash in Little Almshoe. Mr Pinkstone is often the first person to attend to the injured while waiting for an ambulance
‘The B656 has a bus stop and a local family are frightened to allow their child to catch that bus to school.
‘There was an incident three years ago where a car decided to overtake a large tractor at the crossroads as it was turning right.
‘There was a collision and the tractor ended up on its side, injuring the driver.’
Mr Pinkstone wants to see the 60mph speed limit scrapped down to 40mph – give way emblems replaced with stop signs – especially as the B656 has various footpaths crossing over the road as well as cycle routes.
He’s also calling for a 20mph speed limit through the tiny, historic Little Almshoe itself which has no pavement for pedestrians.
The Parish Council, County Councillor Ralph Muncer, and Labour MP for Hitchin, Alistair Strathern, have also called for stop signs to replace the ‘give way’ signs on the approaches to the junction.
Mr Pinkstone, who has been campaigning for change, hopes for a fresh meeting with Highways authorities soon.
He added: ‘The biggest effect is on the people, whether it’s drivers involved,as much as the damage.
‘There is a solution and we just need it carrying out – Highways are saying they’ve got to do all sorts of surveys but this is evident.
‘We want to work with Highways to get this resolved as quickly as possible.’
A Hertfordshire County Council spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of the concerns that have been raised in relation to the B656 at Little Almshoe and recognise the impact that serious crashes and near misses can have on those who live in, travel through and regularly use the area.
‘We will be contacting Mr Pinkstone to better understand the concerns he has raised and the experiences that have led him to campaign for change at this location.
‘Any future decisions for this location will be informed by a range of information, including crash history, road characteristics, traffic conditions, community insight and how the route is used in practice.’
