Burnham MP backs residents' campaign for new Berrow pavements

Published: July 21, 2007
Burnham MP backs residents' campaign for new Berrow pavements

Burnham-On-Sea's MP is backing a £250,000 campaign by residents at Berrow to get pavements introduced along a dangerous stretch of road.

David Heathcoat-Amory was in Berrow on Saturday (July 21st) to hear residents' concerns about the busy stretch of Coast Road between Berrow Church and Brean - which has been at the centre of a long-running safety campaign.

Mr Heathcoat-Amory met County Councillor Alan Ham and local councillors and residents besides Berrow Church before taking a walk along the busy road to see for himself the scale of the problem.

The MP told Burnham-On-Sea.com: "It's a disgrace that pavements haven't been introduced along this very busy stretch of Coast Road."

"It's incredibly dangerous at any time of the year, but particularly so in the summer months when thousands of holidaymakers make their way to Brean."

"Permission from the land owner had been given to introduce pavements along this stretch road here at Berrow, but government bureaucracy is now blocking it."

"Somerset County Council's Highways Department is having to comply with Department of Transport targets which override local priorities such as getting these pavements installed. The County Council has not pushed the matter hard enough and protested against it."

"In the meantime, residents are facing another busy summer, where a serious accident is just waiting to happen. I'm not accepting this position and will be taking this up both with the Department of Transport and County Council."

"If our new Prime Minister Gordon Brown really is as interested about local matters as he claims, then he will move this forward. £250,000 is a very small amount to pay for a new pavement that will make the road so much safer."

Cllr Alan Ham added: "The County Council Highways Department has missed this stretch of road off their radar for far too long. We've been pushing for a pavement between Burnham and Brean to be completed for many years and this is the final missing link."

"We have up to 50,000 tourists travelling aloing this stretch of road every week at the height of the summer, so something must be done to improve safety."