A LONE woman driver caused £1,000 worth of damage to her car after driving into an unmarked road block near Bolton Sports Village, in Horwich.

Stella Cholodowski was on a new stretch of Mansell Way in Horwich, late on Sunday, when she collided with a massive timber sleeper.

Mrs Cholodowski, of Wiltshire Drive, in Bury, says there were no warning signs or additional lighting to highlight the danger. She said: "I don't really know the area and thought I was heading into Bolton.

"Fortunately I wasn't driving fast. I didn't see the sleeper, it was very dark. I just felt the impact."

Mrs Cholodowski, 48, said her Citroen ZX was badly damaged and she suffered shock. She added: "Fortunately the police stopped to help me, otherwise I would have been stranded. I feel lucky that I wasn't injured."

A spokesman for Bolton's engineering consultancy, said the incident occurred on a new road leading to Bolton Sports Village. The road is currently unadopted.

The spokesman said there had been warning signs in position while contractors were working on the site.

He said: "I am not aware of any other incidents like this but I will ask the contractors to look into it. There is always a possibility that vandals have removed additional lighting or tape in the area."

Inspector Jim Wharton, of Bolton's Traffic Management Unit, said that officers had investigated Mrs Cholodowski's complaint. He said that on his visit there was a "road ahead closed" sign clearly visible and there were cones.

However he too agreed that removal of cones and signs by vandals is a potential problem.

He said: "I am satisfied that there is adequate street lighting and that the contractors are doing the best they can."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.