OUTRAGED residents are demanding action on roads in Ramsbottom which they claim have become a “rat run”.

Householders living around Rawsons Rake say the road and adjoining Tanners Street and Dundee Lane have been plagued by ongoing problems for a number of years, including speeding vehicles, congestion and damage to vehicles and property.

However they are particularly are keen to push the issue after two crashes in Rawsons Rake on Sunday, which injured two people.

They have now submitted a petition to Bury Council saying they are “at the end of their tether” and called for action on 11 issues related to the roads.

One resident said the quality of life for those living in the area has become “miserable”, prompting several people to move away.

She added: “The residents are starting another campaign to pressurise the highways department into doing something about this road.

“It is like a rat run. It is absolute misery for the residents.

“There has been a huge number of accidents along this stretch.”

The petition has been submitted alongside an in depth traffic report conducted by residents ­— featuring data collected about concerns in the area, from traffic volume to speeding and damage to road surfaces.

Action is also being called for by residents on HGVs passing through the roads, obstructions, risk to pedestrians and cyclists, community severance, public disorders, criminal damage and breaches of the peace, financial impact, poor quality of life for the residents, and community cohesion.

These demands come after two cars crashed into a wall on Rawsons Rake with the space of a few hours on Sunday.

One of the collisions involved a black Jaguar which hit a wall in front of a house.

The second saw a taxi crash further up the road requiring two people to be taken to hospital with injuries.

Actions were then taken to close the road on Monday however the cars remained in situ.

Residents claim that the crashes take the total number in the Rake, which is the steepest hill-road in the region with a gradient of 23 per cent, to nine since January 9 this year.

A Bury Council spokesman said: "Rawsons Rake, with its 1 in 4 gradient, is the steepest road in the borough. It is also very narrow and has no pavements, and has a 20mph speed limit; despite that, it causes few problems for most of the year.

“There are permanent warning signs at the top and bottom of Rawsons Rake, urging drivers not to use the road in bad weather. Unfortunately, some drivers ignore these warnings and use the road regardless of how bad the conditions are.

“We are doing our very best to ensure the safety of people who use The Rake. It is not as simple as closing the road, as this is a public highway which is used by more than 1,000 vehicles on an average day. Local residents also need access to their properties.

“Given that incidents keep occurring, we will be examining a range of options for The Rake, and as part of wider traffic issues in the surrounding area such as Tanners Street and Carr Street.

“In the meantime, 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.”