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Police stop 11 drivers in an hour on danger road between Woodnesborough and Barham

Police stopped 11 drivers in one hour along a notorious accident stretch.

They slapped several fines and found one motorist had been driving at 48mph on the area's 30mph limit.

The stretch of road, one of the most dangerous rural ones in Kent, has had four deaths in three months.

Holt Street, Nonington. Picture: Google Maps
Holt Street, Nonington. Picture: Google Maps

These were at Holt Street, Womenswold and Woodnesborough.

Kent Police's Roads Unit had patrolled the area on October 31 and stopped drivers for various motoring offences although speeding is the main problem.

The police involvement followed calls from the pressure group Nonington Traffic Action and Dover MP Charlie Elphicke.

Mr Elphicke said: "By the number of deaths recorded and now many drivers were stopped in such a short time, it’s clear urgent action is required.

“I am asking the Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott to ensure tough measures are taken to tackle these offences, and to ensure the authorities to work with residents to improve safety.

“The villagers’ proposals for far reaching traffic safety measures must be taken seriously.”

Residents have collected their own data tracking speeding cars on the eight mile stretch of road between Woodnesborough and Adisham Road in Barham, which runs through Nonington.

They say 3,000 vehicles travel through the area every day, and nearly two-thirds flout the 30mph speed limit.

Speeds above 65mph are regularly recorded, including one at 80mph at 11.30pm. Some of the highest speeds are recorded at rush hour.

Mr Elphicke in a recent meeting with Nonington residents, over road dangers.Picture: Office of Charlie Elphicke MP
Mr Elphicke in a recent meeting with Nonington residents, over road dangers.Picture: Office of Charlie Elphicke MP

Jonathan Simmons, of Nonington Traffic Action said: “We are very pleased that the concerns about dangerous traffic speeds raised with Charlie Elphicke have now been picked up and corroborated by Kent Police.

“With yet another accident during rush hour last Wednesday Nov 7, Kent Police’s commitment to ongoing speed checks in Nonington will be key to curbing dangerous driving in the village.”

The Nonington Traffic Action Group proposes a number of traffic calming measures to solve the issue, including pinch points, warning signs designed by children and a lower speed limit.

The most popular suggestion is to set up an average speed check camera located just after the Mill Lane entrance to Nonington, leaving the village at the end of Holt Street.

Mr Elphicke has contacted Kent Highways and Kent Police, urging them to explore options.

The road has had five deaths in just over two years.

Owain Boughtwood, 21, died after crashing into a tree between Nonighton and Chillenden, on June 26, 2016.

A coroner later recorded a verdict of accidental death although the inquest heard that Owain had been drink-driving.

The specific causes of the fatal accidents this year have to be confirmed by police investigations and inquests.

Arry Petch, 18, died after a car travelling from Nonington towards Snowdown crashed in Holt Street on July 29 this year.

Two men were arrested and afterwards released without bail while enquiries continued.

An 89-year-old man died in a car crash involving a suspected drug driver at the Sandwich Road, Woodnesborough on September 9.

Casey Hood, 18, and Lucy Leadbeater, 27, were killed in a crash in Nethersole Road, Womenswold, on September 14.

Their inquests are expected to be heard in full at the Archbishop's Palace in Maidstone on December 3.

Nongington residents have also set up a website with photographs of crashes and detailed traffic data to awareness of speeding through the village: nonington.traffic.nabob.co.uk/

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