An elderly woman has been badly hurt in an accident in the centre of Slaithwaite.

And there was an immediate call for urgent action to be taken over the crossing where she was seriously injured yesterday morning.

Residents and shopkeepers say it was only a matter of time before someone was hurt at the mini roundabout that connects Carr Lane, Market Place and Britannia Road installed in 2005 with the hope of making roads in the village safer.

An 80 year-old woman suffered two broken ankles after she was in an accident with a vehicle while using the zebra crossing outside the Commercial pub at 9.45am yesterday.

The crossing is just 39ft from the roundabout.

They have suggested that traffic lights be installed or more crossings put in place to decrease the risks of accident on top of existing council plans to move the crossing around 12ft further east – and questioned the point of the roundabout itself.

Resident Robert Brown, who lives in Gordon Street, said: “We need to put traffic lights around the roundabout because placing the roundabout there has not stopped people from driving irresponsibly and it’s so tight that many people don’t use it safely.”

Meanwhile, Mark Boswell, 44, who lives in Marsden and visits the village regularly, said: “It’s not safe. It’s very narrow and the problem is that some motorists don’t know how to give way on it which makes it difficult.

“My daughter goes to a club nearby but I won’t let her walk home because the roads are very dangerous. I’m not sure what should be done but it shouldn’t be left as it is.”

And Soors newsagent owner, Gurdeep Soor, whose store lies on the corner next to the roundabout, said: “An accident was going to happen because the crossing isn’t in a good place and it looks dangerous, especially for those who are older.

“People have been complaining to me about it since it was put there so I hope moving the crossing does something.”

Colne Valley councillor David Ridgway defended the roundabout but said that he could not say whether the planned road improvements, which are being introduced to cope with an expected rise in traffic due to new commercial developments and will also include roundabout resurfacing and speed reductions, would make crossing the roads safer.

“It was put in in the first place to stop drivers swinging around the corners without stopping and running into each other and since it was put there the number of car accidents has reduced dramatically,” he said.

“I have always said the crossing should have been placed further east down the road and now it is being moved but the other issue is unsafe drivers.”

The woman later underwent surgery at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.

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