THE safety record of a major junction that was the scene of a fatal crash involving a police officer has been defended by a Bolton Council highways chief.

Calls for safety signs to be erected at the crossroads of Crompton Way and Blackburn Road to warn of its “undulating nature” were rejected at the inquest into the death of PC Allan Shaw.

Mr Allan Shaw died in July, 2006, while taking part in a police training exercise. He lost control of his motorcycle at the busy junction and slid into the back of a lorry after being flung from his bike.

The 33-year-old officer, who was among several motorcycle officers being trained in escorting VIP convoys, died at the scene.

Anthony Kelly, a qualified civil engineer and senior engineering manager in the council’s traffic management department, told Bolton Coroners’ Court that millions of vehicles passed safely through the junction every year.

He said: “It is a big junction with four wide roads approaching it. It has a very heavy flow of traffic in the daytime.”

Mr Kelly told the inquest that an average of 54,000 vehicles passed through the junction every week, amounting to around 16 million a year.

But despite this, he said there had only been 54 accidents involving injury to drivers in the last 10 years.

“That is a very small percentage of drivers,” he said.

Mr Kelly also rejected the idea of warning signs, saying the road was not unsafe if drivers stuck to the speed limit.

He said: “The council would need special authorisation for signage for road users who use the road in excess of the speed limit. It would create all sorts of worrying precedents.”

The inquest heard that PC Shaw and other police officers were legitimately using their exemptions to travel above the speed limit.

Bernard Caterall, of Bolton Council, said there had been four separate inspections of the junction between May and July, 2006. He said inspectors would look for deviations greater than 40mm, but would not comment on the design of the road.

Coroner Jennifer Leeming recorded a verdict of accidental death.