A FATHER has revived calls for a notorious road to be closed during wintry weather.

Ed Leonards, of Tanners Street, Ramsbottom, has made the plea after describing the terrifying moment his two daughters had to dodge out of the way of a runaway car on Rawsons Rake during icy conditions.

Earlier this year, Mr Leonards’ daughters Maddy, aged 12, and Molly, aged 8, were walking home from nearby Emmanuel Holcombe CE Primary School, when they were alerted to a car skidding down the road, known locally as ‘The Rake’.

Mr Leonards, who works as an occupational therapist in Bury, said the incident was ‘a very close call’ and left his daughters shook up.

He said: “There was a van struggling to come up and the driver put his window down and shouted at them to run.

"A car was coming down out of control and went straight into the van. The girls had managed to run down the road into a neighbour’s garden.

“I’m pretty sure the road was supposed to be closed at the time. It was a very close call. The kids were shook up.”

In January, a number of cars had to be abandoned on the Rake after crashing, leaving a build-up of vehicles.

Although no one was injured, several parents who use the road to walk their children to Emmanuel Holcombe described the road as an accident waiting to happen and warned that someone could be killed if action was not taken.

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In 2015, Bury Council gave a group of residents permission to close the road in winter, and equipped them with cones and road closure signs to do so.

However, the arrangement has since changed. In January, a council spokesman said they were looking at ways in which ‘the dangers can be reduced and the warnings amplified’.

It is believed that residents have presented a number of suggestions to them, including the introduction of collapsible bollards.

Permanent road signs are already in place at the top and bottom of the Rake warning drivers that the road is ‘impassable’ in ice and snow.

But Mr Leonards has now called on everyone to ‘stop playing the blame game’ and put a plan in place to close the road before it is too late.

He said: “This shouldn’t be the responsibility of residents to make the decision to close and enforce the road closure.

“There have been numerous incidents on there over the years. We were walking up once and saw a three and a half tonne truck completely out of control, bouncing off the retaining walls.

“Once you are on the Rake you can’t get off it. There’s no way of controlling any kind of skid.

“It’s imperative that more robust measures are in place to close the road when it’s icy as cones and signs are often moved to the side of the road by drivers.

“The local authority have been offered several potential solutions by local residents but as yet no concrete plans have been forthcoming.

“It’s extremely dangerous. How many other roads in the country have a 25 per cent incline? All it’s going to take is a vehicle to be out of control and someone who can’t get out of the way and that will be the end of that.”

A spokesman for Bury Council said: “We are looking at reinforcing the existing warnings by installing amber flashing lights with “Road closed when lights flash” signs at both ends of the Rake, which we hope will help get the message home and change driver behaviour.

“Installing physical measures, such as bollards, alley gates or chains, is not feasible here for a number of reasons. This is an adopted public highway, which cannot be obstructed. Local residents also need access to their properties. If only a dozen cars drove along this road each day there may be scope for some leeway, but Rawsons Rake is used by more than 1,000 vehicles on an average day.

“We are doing our very best to ensure the safety of people who use this road. But let’s be clear – the ultimate responsibility for driving poorly on any road, not just Rawsons Rake, rests with the driver. We urge all motorists who use Rawsons Rake to obey the speed limit, drive with extra care, and take an alternative route during bad weather.”