YET another accident on the A72 has aggravated the ongoing concerns about the safety of the road.

The Peeblesshire News reported last week that the A72 Action Group, set up in response to the number of car accidents that occur frequently along the A72, was pushing for the speed limit to be cut to 40mph at Caerlee Corner, a notorious accident black spot.

However, the group have now moved their attention to another offending section of road - Dirt Pot Corner - a narrow stretch near Cardrona where the road is squeezed between a bend in the River Tweed and a steep hillside – following a two-car collision there last Friday.

This is another common accident site a few miles from Caerlee, and for years campaigners have been calling for action.

Tweeddale Councillor and A72 Action Group member Stuart Bell said: “In addition to Caerlee corner, outside Innerleithen, another focus of concern on the A72 is Dirt Pot Corner.

"Work completed 3 years ago to stabilise the banking above the corner seems to have fixed the specific problem of landslips onto the road, but we are left with a road that is still too narrow for large vehicles to safely pass each other.

“There was an accident on that corner in the middle of last year which resulted in damage to the parapet of the retaining wall above the river and this has still not be repaired.

"I understand that SBC officers have completed their investigation works needed to design and cost a scheme to sort out - once and for all - the problem of the safety of this corner.

“In the forthcoming SBC budget discussions I am certainly going to be defending that, despite our financial challenges, Dirt Pot corner needs to be fixed.

“There can be accidents on any stretch of a road, especially in the winter, but that part of the A72 is too narrow and as a consequence it currently is not safe.

"I really want this corner to be fixed so that the A72 Action Group can focus on other problem stretches."

The road was closed at 11.10am on Friday, January 15, after a Peugeot 308 and a Honda Civic collided at Dirt Pot Corner - one vehicle was flipped on to its roof. Paramedics attended the scene but the two drivers were unharmed.

Traffic was diverted to the narrower B7062 Traquair Road, which is unsuitable for buses and HGVs, until the A72 reopened at 12.16pm.

One concerned onlooker at Friday's incident said: “In respect of this collision, it is another where a vehicle has struck the barrier wall.

"The wall at this corner has been struck so many times over the last few months, that the wall has been dislodged, and on one section the top half has been sheared off.

“The constant striking the wall is undertaking must affect its strength and effectiveness. People ask the question is the wall still safe and fit for purpose, due to the damage and lack of repair.

“This wall is the barrier between the road and the River Tweed and in its current state, will it prevent someone ending up in a watery grave?

“The council must have an obligation to maintain the walls integrity and should give some assurances regarding its safety.”

A Scottish Borders Council spokesperson said: "A scheme to improve the bend at Dirtpot Corner is in the current five-year capital plan and is due to be completed in 2019/20.

“The Council is aware of the recent, and previous accidents at the location.

"However, it is worth noting that there were no reported injury accidents there in the whole of 2013 and 2014.”