Marus Bridge junction accident stats questioned

Marus Bridge junction has become known as an accident blackspot since it was converted from a roundabout to traffic light-controlled crossroads.

But data given to the Post under the Freedom Of Information Act showed the ambulance service had only been there once since 2014 and the police had attended twice.

The police incidents were “slight injury collisions” and they said they did not record “damage only collisions”.

The statistics were questioned by many readers when they were published by the Post and they gave other examples of the emergency services attending.

So the Post asked the ambulance service to check the figures they had provided.

A spokesman said: “Having had our analyst re-look at this, only one additional incident came up, this was due to the post code search being extended. The date of the other incident is November 2015.”

However, she said there were many more calls made from the surrounding area which may have been for incidents at the junction.

Winstanley resident Paul Shuttleworth, who has been campaigning for changes at the junction, continues to question the data.

He sent a photograph to the Post showing an ambulance at the junction in April and said there had been many more incidents.

Mr Shuttleworth said: “Typically there are two ambulances here. We have accidents near enough every month. To say there is only two is ridiculous.

“Obviously the stats either aren’t being recorded properly or there’s an error in the way they are searching.”

He was concerned that the data could prevent further changes being made to the junction, which involves Warrington Road, Poolstock Lane and Highfield Grange Avenue

Mr Shuttleworth said: “If everybody think it’s fine, nobody is going to want to modify it or adapt it.”