CCTV: Terrifiying crash footage shows why traffic lights have been installed near Shifnal

Caught on CCTV, this is the dramatic moment an accident happened on one of Shropshire's most dangerous roads.

Miraculously, the driver escaped with a broken leg, but such is the concern about accidents on the A464 near Shifnal that traffic lights have been installed as part of a trial aimed at forcing traffic to slow down.

Tony Honicke is used to hearing the sound of screeching tyres, crunching metal and smashing glass.

He lives on the A464 Upton crossroads, near Shifnal, which is one of the worst accident blackspots in Shropshire.

Such is the regularity of crashes on the road that traffic lights have been placed there – simply to stop speeding traffic in its tracks.

Council officials say the lights have been put in place as part of a trial that may last a year in an effort to find out if it stops the accidents happening.

They may be a nuisance for motorists who use the road as a regular commuter route. But they are welcomed by Mr Honicke and his wife Kelly, who say they live in fear of the traffic that flashes by. They have two children Isabelle, 10, and William, nine.

The 50-year-old, who also runs his construction company Trio Construction Services from the site in Upton Lane, said they had been plagued by car accidents in the past, resulting in the emergency services being called out on multiple occasions.

The most recent crash outside his property happened on March 14 and was dramatically captured on CCTV by Mr Honicke.

A car struck a boundary wall before flying into the air amid a cloud of debris. A male passenger in the vehicle, who suffered a suspected broken leg, had to be freed by firefighters before being taken to hospital.

Mr Honicke also has a selection of photographs from previous accidents, including one in which a car ended up inside one of his barns.

He said: "We've been here just about four years now and there must have been six or eight crashes. They are getting worse and worse.

"They come out of Shifnal, heading towards Wolverhampton, there's a bend and a massive straight. They go flying up there."

Mr Honicke said he had been first on the scene when the crash happened in March and it had taken an hour for fire crews to free the man from the car.

An air ambulance was also sent to the scene, along with two ambulance crews and three rapid response vehicles.

The driver managed to escape with minor injuries but also went to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital for a precautionary check-up.

"It was horrible," Mr Honicke said.

"Cars have crashed into the barn before and we've had one upside down on the junction. Apparently there were two fatalities 15 or 20 years ago."

Shropshire Council's consultants, Mouchel, are currently designing a permanent road safety enhancement scheme for the location, but Mr Honicke has welcomed the introduction of the temporary traffic lights in the meantime.

He added: "I would like the lights to stay up.

"I know it must be a pain for people to see lights there but it's nice for them to understand why they are there. If you imagine not knowing whether a car is going to come through your wall, it's scary."

Alice Dilly, Shropshire Council's principal engineer for road safety, said the crossroads is an accident site that experiences regular accidents due to the poor road alignment and high traffic speeds.

She said the temporary traffic lights had been put in place while a permanent road safety enhancement scheme is drawn up, with permanent traffic lights being considered.

They are expected to remain at the location for between six and 12 months.

Ms Dilly said the operation of the traffic signals is being monitored for the first few weeks of their installation at peak times to ensure that they are operating effectively with as minimal disruption as possible to the public.

She added: "We apologise for any delays or inconvenience that this may cause to the travelling public; however, we have installed this measure purely on a road safety basis to help protect road users and local residents."

In 2013, a blue Volkswagen Golf careered into a barn on the junction, sparking fears the building could collapse and prompting police to close the road.

People in the two cars suffered minor injuries and two people were taken to hospital for treatment.