Deaths of two toddlers prompt calls for road safety improvements

Two crashes that killed two toddlers in a matter of days have prompted calls for improved road safety in Shropshire.

A 19-month-old child died in hospital on Monday and an 11-month-old died on Tuesday following crashes near Newport.

Shropshire councillor Rob Gittins said there were three or four crashes a month on the A41 near the town.

He said "large amounts of capital funding" was needed from the Department for Transport (DfT) to make the necessary changes for safer roads.

Councillor Gittins told the BBC, people living nearby were "very sad" about the fatal crashes but at the same time "they're not surprised".

The 19-month-old child died in hospital on Monday after a crash on Saturday on the A518 New Trench Road, between Newport and Lilleshall, which also claimed the life of a woman travelling in another car.

On Tuesday, a 35-year-old woman and 11-month-old child died in a crash on the A41 between Newport and Tern Hill.

Councillor Gittins said the A41 in particular was "very dangerous". He wants to see average speed cameras, changes to the layout of junctions, better signage and improved visibility on the roads near Newport.

However, he said Shropshire Council would struggle to find the necessary money because of the amount that needs to be spent on social care.

The council has previously said social care represents about 85% of its budget spending.

Councillor Gittins, who represents the Cheswardine ward, said: "There just isn't that capital funding available to improve safety on those major roads - that funding has to come from the DfT.

"I think it's just a case of lobbying really, really hard."

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