Time for action

The Rathfriland councillor said she would be contacting Roads Service again, asking for improved warning signs to be erected on the stretch of road, two miles outside Rathfriland heading towards Banbridge, which claimed yet another casualty on Sunday.

A female motorist from Rathfriland had been negotiating the dangerous bend when she lost control of her car and it tipped over the hedge - surviving a 20-foot drop into the field below.

The woman is believed to have been unhurt in the incident, but it has highlighted the acute need for action from Roads Service, according to Mrs Ingram.

“Time and time again, motorists are failing to take this corner safely and have ended up tumbling into the ditch,” said Mrs Ingram, who has been campaigning for around two years for improved safety warning signs.

“Even local motorists, who know the road well, find themselves in difficulty on this corner, despite the sign already there which gives advance warning of a bad bend.

“In light of this latest incident, I will be writing to Roads Service again to ask if anything else can be done. I would particularly like to see more markers and extra warning sign to drive home the necessity of slowing down at this particular stretch.”

Mrs Ingram said the road had now become infamous among local people in Rathfriland and she knew of many people who regularly drive miles out of their way to avoid travelling on it.

“This road has already claimed lives and more will be lost unless something is done to make it safer,” she added. “I will be appealing to Roads Service to take urgent action on this matter as it is long overdue.”