A NORTH Herefordshire village working to tackle an accident black-spot which claimed a life has been boosted by support from the region's Police and Crime Commissioner.

John Campion, Commissioner for West Mercia, has promised to support Monkland villagers in a bid to avoid further fatalities.

Residents of the village near Leominster, which lies on the busy A44, have expressed concerns over a particular section of the road and whether its speed limits are safe along the entire stretch of the 50mph zone.

Villagers say there have been a number of collisions along the section of road, including one fatality which cost the life of a young mother, Tanya Easdale, in June 2016. The parish council have been fighting for changes to no avail.

After concerns were raised by Monkland residents, Mr Campion called on partners and came together last month with Herefordshire Council, Monkland Parish Council and West Mercia Safer Roads Partnership to find a way forward.

He said: "I made a promise that I would listen to the concerns of communities and be responsive to them. My support and investment in making this road safer is another example of how I’m delivering on that promise.

"I am committed to helping and I will do my part, but others need to as well and I will be looking to them to ensure that happens. We can’t wait for another fatality to happen before action is taken, something needs to be done now and I will help to achieve that.”

Chris Blaydon, a resident of Monkland, was first on the scene at the accident last summer.

"There’s nothing like the noise of a car crash; we’ve heard a few in the four years we’ve been living next to the A44. On this particular day in June, my wife and I knew this was different," he said.

"It’s time something effective was done to make this road safer, be it moving the 50 mph speed limit sign, alerting drivers to the dangerous bend ahead or introducing speed-activated signs."

A proposed scheme of solutions will be pulled together and put before Balfour Beatty, Herefordshire County Council’s official partner for highways, next month.