HIGHWAYS bosses are being urged to reduce the speed limit on a "dangerous road" before there is another serious accident.

Residents living in the Hunger Hill area have signed a petition calling for a 30mph speed limit as part of a campaign to make Wigan Road safer for pedestrians and drivers.

There have been a number of serious accidents on the stretch of road. In 2015, schoolgirl Lucy Harris suffered serious head injuries after being hit by a car on Wigan Road. And last year, a driver escaped unharmed after crashing into the Premier Express newsagents.

Ward councillors started the petition, which attracted 239 signatures, to highlight the strength of feeling among local people.

They presented the petition to Director of Place Gerry Brough and Assistant Director for Highways and Engineering John Kelly and the issue of how to make the road safer will now be discussed at a council meeting next month.

Cllr Christine Wild said she and her fellow councillors Martyn Cox and Zoe Kirk-Robinson were told of concerns about the "increasing levels of speed on Wigan Road".

She said: "We decided to organise a petition to present to Bolton Council to try and get the speed reduced on this dangerous road from 40 mph to 30 mph. Wigan Road leads to and from the nearby motorway and contrary to popular belief motorists are not exiting and entering the motorway at high speeds but are increasing their speed after leaving the roundabout.

"After observing the variable speed sign at the junction of Bolton Road and Wigan Road we saw that the majority of drivers were driving at 40 to 45 mph and some drivers 50 to 60 mph.

"While talking to residents, we discovered, that, on just Winslow Rd alone five residents had been involved in accidents when coming from Westhoughton and slowing down to turn left into Bolton Road, cars had shunted into the residents’ cars unable to stop in time due to travelling at too high a speed to react to a built up area.

Residents on Wigan Road told how they were frightened when entering and exiting their drives due to the speed of the drivers.

"Parents told of how anxious they are as their children crossed the road at Bolton Road and Wigan Road junction to get to the bus stops when going to school."

Cllr Wild said that accidents may have been prevented on the road if the speed limit was lower.

She said: "Councillors feel that it is imperative that action is taken to reduce the speed on this road and that another serious accident is inevitable if we don’t act to resolve the situation."