Traffic lights planned for B4203 Upper Sapey crash blackspot

Herefordshire Council has confirmed work at the High Cross junction near Upper Sapey is due to start on November 16 and continue until March 19 next year.

The scheme will see a new signal-controlled junction installed where the B4203 between Bromyard and Worcester meets the B4204 linking Clifton-upon-Teme and Tenbury Wells.

Temporary multi-way traffic lights will be in place during the works, which will also include drainage improvements, ducting and a new electricity supply.

The crossroads has long been regarded as one of the county's most dangerous junctions.

Earlier this year, Bromyard Bringsty councillor Pete Stoddart described it as a crash hotspot for more than 90 years and said it ranked as Herefordshire's second-worst blackspot behind Locks Garage on the A465.

Since 1999, figures from crashmap.co.uk showed there has been one fatal collision, four serious injury crashes and 12 slight injury crashes at the junction itself, with another 10 recorded nearby.

The crossroads was the scene of a fatal crash in June 2021 when Malcolm Clews, 66, died after a car drove through give-way markings and struck his van.

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Councillor Stoddart previously welcomed the decision to install traffic lights but warned they would not eliminate every risk.

He said the junction had remained dangerous despite years of warning signs, rumble strips and other safety measures, adding that some collisions were caused by drivers distracted by screens.

The councillor said only "imbeciles" ignoring the rules of the road would continue to cause problems once the new lights are operational.

The wider scheme is also expected to include resurfacing works and speed reduction measures through Upper Sapey.