COUNTY councillors have renewed calls to keep up the pressure on Highways England in a bid to ‘save lives’ along the A49.

Residents have campaigned tirelessly to improve the safety of the road and have held regular meetings with the national highways authority.

Locals and councillors have been calling for traffic calming measures and improved signage in the Brimfield area for many years.

Leominster North and Rural councillor John Stone, who represents the area, flagged the serious safety issues again at a full Herefordshire Council meeting earlier this month.

“Could you consider the ongoing serious safety issues along the A49 between Hereford and he Shropshire border?” He asked new council leaders.

He said he was particularly concerned about the junction near the Salwey Arms in Woofferton.

“Could you consider keeping up meetings with Highways England to keep up the pressure to address some of the issues on the A49?” Coun Stone also asked.

Council leader David Hitchiner said he would ask infrastructure cabinet member John Harrington to reply to him in writing.

There have been many casualties along the A49 in recent years.

In 2017, a motorcyclist died after a collision near the Salwey Arms junction.

Also that year a cyclist was injured in a crash between Woofferton and Ashford Bowdler.

During the run up to the recent county council elections in May, coun Stone said he had worked hard over the years to raise awareness of the dangers on the A49 and liasied with parish councils in his ward about the issue.

“Safety on that road in particular, is a concern of many councillors along the stretch of it within the county,” he said at the time.