Calls for 20mph speed limit in Warminster after car crashes into house

Management consultant Anthony Shoult says the council has repeatedly ignored requests from Warminster residents for traffic calming, pavement protection and speed limit restrictions.

He was speaking in the wake of a crash at 9am on Sunday (October 29) in which a driver lost control of a vehicle and crashed into a corner house in Emwell Street.

The four occupants of the vehicle, a grey Ford Fiesta, all suffered injuries and taken to Salisbury District Hospital.

Four ambulances as well as a Dorset and Somerset air ambulance and a rapid response vehicle attended the scene.in Warminster. (Image: Anthony Shoult)

Mr Shoult,74, who lives in Silver Street, said: “In view of the serious road traffic accident in Warminster town centre on Sunday, October, 29 Wiltshire Council might wish to review their stance of repeatedly ignoring requests from Warminster residents for traffic calming, pavement protection and effective speed limit restrictions.

“Had a pedestrian been in the area, then a fatality would certainly have occurred caused by the driver of a vehicle losing control and mounting the pavement before colliding with the corner house at Emwell Street.

“It is hoped that the continued failure by Wiltshire Council to address this problem does not result in legal action for compensation against them and other relevant local authorities in the event that such an accident might be deemed to be caused by their negligence.

“It is suggested that Wiltshire Council should despatch a highways team to Norton St Philip in Somerset where they can examine how competent local authorities effectively deal with complex highways traffic management issues in a historic town or village centre setting.

“Unlike many parts of Warminster, in Norton St Philip the installation of bollards are designed to inhibit through-traffic mounting the pedestrian footpath while traffic calming effectively supports the 20mph speed limit.

“As in Silver Street Warminster, through-traffic utilising Norton St Philip as a rat run had also led to the side effect of traffic incidents involving damage to parked vehicles belonging to local residents.”

Anthony Shoult is calling on Wiltshire Council to improve road safety in Warminster. Photo: Trevor Porter 67038-1 (Image: Trevor Porter)

Mr Shoult has campaigned for the past three years for a 20mph restriction in Silver Street to stop drivers speeding.

In 2020, he launched a petition signed by more than 60 locals calling for Wiltshire Council to improve traffic management and traffic regulation enforcement before someone is killed.

He said Wiltshire Council had failed to act on a traffic evaluation in Silver Street carried out over a seven-day period between October 30 and November 6 2019, following requests from residents.

Mr Shoult added: “A total of 2,441 drivers were recorded as driving at speeds in excess of the speed limit of 30mph over the seven-day period.

But in August 2020, Wiltshire Council said no changes were being planned for speed and HGV weight limits or traffic calming in Silver Street.

Cllr Caroline Thomas, Wiltshire Council's Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “We were sorry to hear of the accident at Silver Street, Warminster this weekend and we will await the findings of the police investigation into the circumstances.

“Road safety is a priority for Wiltshire Council. Residents who wish to raise concerns, or make requests for safety measures, can speak to their local town or parish council who will forward requests for consideration at the Local Highway and Footpath Improvement Group (LHFIG) as necessary.

“The installation of safety measures at this location has previously been raised through the Warminster LHFIG. At the time, the proposal was considered, and it was decided by the local town and parish council representatives on the LHFIG that the proposed measures should not be prioritised.”