FRESH calls for an overhaul of safety measures on the notorious A6 bypass were made by councillors and the public last night.

They want action to be taken to prevent a repeat of yesterday’s horrific accident.

The route has a history of smashes which have lead to death or serious injury and local people have been calling for action for years.

Councillors have previously asked for the 60mph speed limit to be reduced to 40mph to make the road safer.

And concern has been raised about a pool of water which regularly appears on the road in wet conditions, near to where the accident happened. Last month, Blackrod Town Council wrote to Bolton Council asking for trees to be cut back and for drains to be unblocked.

Cllr Graham Farrington said: “I’ve been concerned about the way that maintenance of the highways and footpaths has been deteriorating over the years.

“I have expressed concerns about the state of the A6, with the water running over the road. The council has done a bit of work on it in the past, but we have been constantly complaining about it for two years.

“I don’t think there is a councillor in Blackrod who hasn’t complained about the state of the A6, but it is falling on deaf ears. It’s a pity that something like this has to happen before anyone takes any notice.”

Peter Townsend, aged 50, of Adlington, travels to work in Lostock every day.

He said: “I was driving along at about 9pm on Monday night and saw the water in the road and I said to my passengers that it would be a death trap if it freezes.

“The road didn’t appear to have been gritted, and if it was the water would have washed it away.

“The surface water is the size of a small pond and if you did not know the road, it is dark and you are going at 60mph, it is a disaster waiting to happen. Something must be done.”

Cllr Nick Peel, Bolton Council’s executive member for environmental services, said: “The stretch of road was gritted on Monday night between 6.30pm and 7.45pm, in accordance with the expected weather conditions.

“When a serious accident occurs the highways department will carry out an investigation, alongside the police, into what caused it.”

Andrew Holden, a 34-year-old export administrator from Astley, said he and his wife, Gillian, aged 29, were involved in an accident at the same spot last November as they drove to work in Adlington.

Mr Holden said: “We crashed and spun into a tree due to black ice caused by water run off and we were lucky enough to walk away alive because nothing was coming the other way."