MORE than 1,000 people have signed a petition calling for a roundabout at an “accident blackspot” on a major road east of York.

Campaigners want East Riding of Yorkshire Council to take action to improve the Wilberfoss west junction on the A1079.

Wilberfoss Parish Council launched the petition, with an online version attracting 1,060 signatures, and 200 people signing a hard copy which has been passed to East Riding Cllr Andy Strangeway to hand to County Hall.

David Smith, parish council vice chairman, says there have been numerous crashes at the Wilberfoss west junction recently.

“It’s getting worse. In recent months there have been a few serious accidents where people have been taken to hospital and there has been a lot of minor ones.

“There have been enough minor accidents now to warrant action before there is a fatality. It’s an accident blackspot."

He said it had been bad in the 10 years he had lived there, and said he believed a roundabout would make it much safer.

"The roundabout has worked [on the A1079] at Pocklington. There hasn’t been any accidents there since they put that roundabout in.”

Mr Smith is also a member of Action Access A1079 (AAA1079), a pressure group set up to improve the safety of the A1079. He says the group fully supports the campaign for a roundabout.

East Riding Cllr Andy Strangeway said: “I consider the junction to be very dangerous as the numerous accidents in recent weeks has demonstrated. A roundabout will certainly make the junction safer. It is disgraceful that nothing will be done until someone is killed at the junction.”

An East Riding council spokesman said there were no immediate plans for a roundabout.

"We constantly monitor the road safety record at this location, and the accident statistics and current and projected traffic flows simply do not offer sufficient benefits to justify the significant expense and disruption that would be incurred by the creation of such a roundabout.”