THE main truck road serving Ludlow and south Shropshire has been labelled one of the most dangerous roads in the country.

It has seen many serious accidents and deaths over the years.

But now a pledge has been made to make the A49 less dangerous.

Making one of the county’s busiest roads safer will be one of Shropshire Council’s next big highways projects, a senior councillor has said.

Councillor Dean Carroll said there was a desperate need to cut the number of accidents on the A49 between Shrewsbury and the Herefordshire border south of Ludlow, which has been branded “one of the most dangerous roads in England.”

There are no plans yet for what the scheme might entail.

An accident blackspot on the A49 has been at Woofferton near the Salwey Arms close to the junction with the A456 that takes traffic towards Tenbury.

There have been a number of fatalities, serious accidents and many near misses.

Vivienne Parry, Shropshire councillor for Ludlow South, has been working with residents in the area to try to get safety improved.

The junction involves vehicles emerging from the A456 having to join or cross the A49 at a spot where there can be heavy traffic travelling at high speeds with limited visibility.

Mrs Parry has said that there needs to be either a traffic island or traffic lights.

She says that it is only good fortune that there have not been even more fatal accidents and serious injuries on the road.

But up until now there has been insufficient money available for safety measures to be undertaken..

The A49 is the main truck road from Shrewsbury in the north to Hereford in the south.

It is used by motorists and heavy lorries travelling from north Wales and the north west of England to south Wales.

The road is mostly single carriageway with many bends.

It also carries a significant amount of farm vehicles like slow moving tractors that add to the risk.