Friend of the Cambridges helps villagers’ fight to make road safer

A FRIEND of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge has moved to help villagers battling to introduce safety measures to a steep section of road through woodlands following a fatal car crash.

Snape with Thorp Parish Council has received permission in principle from Sir Henry Ropner to place bollards on King’s Keld Bank, near Bedale, after North Yorkshire County Council rejected a petition featuring 173 signatures calling for safety measures.

While there have been three collisions on the bank over the past 10 years, residents have been raising concerns about how motorists are suddenly plunged into darkness as they descend the road with overhanging dense woodland on the land bordering Thorp Perrow Arboretum.

The petition was launched after Petru Leizeriuc, from Snape, near Bedale, died when the black Seat Ibiza he was driving hit a tree on the bank last October. A county council report states the 48- year- old lost control of his vehicle on a bend and no other vehicles were involved, but police investigations revealed the driver was not qualified, did not have a driving licence, was uninsured and inexperienced.

North Yorkshire County Council “noted that further improvements could be made on this section of highway” which the parish council could fund if it wished.

Nevertheless, the county council has offered to provide officer time and support in developing a scheme and the parish council said it had received a “positive response” from Thorpe Perrow owner Sir Henry Ropner over installing safety measures.

The parish council and Sir Henry formed an agreement in principle for safety measures.