Terrington St Clement villagers launch campaign to change A17 junction at Station Road after another crash

Villagers fed up with taking their lives in their own hands have decided that enough is enough – and have kick-started a campaign to change a controversial A-road junction.

Anger and fear drew residents to The Wildfowler pub in Terrington St Clement on Wednesday evening.

They have become disillusioned by a lack of action at the junction where Station Road joins the A17 despite numerous crashes, and called the meeting after another serious incident two weeks ago today which left a motorcyclist with life-changing leg injuries.

Despite various failures to achieve change in previous years, this group of villagers with a point to prove believe they have what it takes to convince Norfolk County Council of their concerns.

The first meeting of the new action group was organised by resident Jason Shaw, who has lived in Terrington St Clement for 20 years.

“What I say is ‘no more’ – we must take action now,” he said.

“What we are trying to do is act as a community as a whole, not as individuals. We need to be heard.

“We are going to come across hurdles, but in my opinion we just need to jump higher.”

The group will be known as Norfolk A17 Action Now on Facebook, and hope to have even more people come along to future meetings.

On Wednesday, they were joined by Terrington St Clement Parish Council chairman David Hillier, as well as Cllr Howard Lewis. They threw their weight behind the new campaign.

“You take your life in your hands when you go to that junction,” Cllr Hillier told the Lynn News.

“Crossing the road, you just can’t afford to make a mistake.

“Over the last 20 years we have had all sorts of crashes, from people getting killed to people getting seriously injured, vehicles getting written off.

“The county council do nothing for us. They have no interest in anything this side of Swaffham.”

Villagers who attended the meeting included Annie Savage, who experiences problems when turning left onto Station Road and then having to immediately turn right while driving to work from Sutton Bridge, and Kim Thorpe, who said she witnessed the recent crash at the junction.

A spokesperson from Norfolk County Council said the authority is aware that the junction has been a source of concern.

“In recent years we have installed vehicle-activated signs for traffic waiting to turn in and out of the side roads, alongside changes to the road markings to make it easier for drivers to navigate the junction,” they added.

“The average speed camera scheme along the A17 has also been successful in reducing speeds and improving safety.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and listen to local concerns so improvements can be made where possible.”