ROAD bosses say they understand the concerns in a village near Hereford where locals fear someone will be killed on the A49.

National Highways, which manages the A49 trunk road through Herefordshire, said it was going to carry on working with the parish council to find out ways to make motorists drive safely through Wellington Marsh, between Hereford and Leominster.

It comes after Wellington Parish Council hit out at the Government agency for not being cooperative when talking about reducing the speed limit on the stretch of road from 50mph after a series of crashes, including cars smashing into houses.

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National Highways route manager, Richard Timothy, said: “Safety is always our top priority and we’re working with West Mercia Police to review the speed limits at this location given the concerns raised.

"We understand the feelings of local residents and will continue to work with the parish council to identify any suitable steps which can be put into place to encourage safer driving through Wellington Marsh.”

A spokesperson for the parish council said there had been six crashes in recent memory, two of which saw cars smash into houses causing extensive damage. It had been working since July 2019 to make the road safer.

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"We want a speed reduction before someone is killed not after," they said.

They said the parish council has the full support of the local county councillor, but her influence is limited because the A49 is managed by National Highways and not Herefordshire Council.

There have also been meetings with North Herefordshire MP Sir Bill Wiggin, but the parish council said National Highways "would not consider a speed reduction", with an idea of a speed indicator device, but the costs would be too high.

"We've put a lot of effort into this, but we seem to be on a wild goose chase," the spokesperson said.