WORRIED parents want action to prevent a tragedy at a crash blackspot.

Residents of Bradley Mills Road, Rawthorpe, are calling for traffic calming measures following a spate of collisions and near misses.

In the most recent incident, Nicky Simpson’s parked Fiat Bravo car was written off after being hit by a speeding driver.

Father-of-two Mr Simpson said: “I have been here nine years and I’ve had three cars crashed into and one stolen.

“We had spent £600 getting this car back on the road.

“Something needs to be done.”

Mr Simpson’s house is on a sharp bend in the road, which has a 30mph speed limit.

He said people regularly lost control after coming round the bend at 50 or 60mph.

Skid marks from the last incident stretched for about 20 yards on the road and on to the grassed area where the car ended up after it veered off the street.

Mother-of-two Nikki Hanson, who saw the incident, said: “If anyone had been on the path they would have been in serious trouble.”

She added: “We have been trying for several years to get something done.

“They used to have speed humps here but they took them away because people kept complaining about damage to their cars.”

Alison Monroe, Liberal Democrat candidate for a forthcoming Kirklees Council by-election in Dalton ward, met with residents to discuss their concerns.

She said: “We are aware there’s a serious road traffic problem and we have reported back to the council to try to arrange a meeting to get something done.

“The more people that get on board, the more we can do.”

Mr Simpson’s partner Rachel Dalton said: “The next time we meet, we don’t want it to be because one of our kids has been killed.”

The residents also want something done to ease parking problems on match days at the Galpharm stadium, when the roads are clogged by fans’ cars.

Dalton councillor Roger Battye said he had had talks with highways officials about the issues.

He said: “Bradley Mills Road is a rural road really, connecting Rawthorpe and Leeds Road, but it’s used more and more as a shortcut by lorries and cars.

“My suggestion was traffic lights at the top and bottom of the road, but highways don’t like that idea. Residents have suggested chicanes to slow people down.

“There are a number of options but someone needs to grasp the nettle to restrict traffic use.”

A council spokeswoman said: “New lines and signs have been put in place to address the speeding issues and the effects of these measures are now being monitored.”