WARGRAVE is a picturesque village nestling on the River Thames and is mentioned in the Doomsday Book a thousand years ago.
The church of St Mary’s dates from the 12th century while the High Street with its jumbled houses and shops was laid out not long after.
But this beautiful and ancient settlement is now being threatened by a modern menace – speeding motorists – with angry locals warning someone will be killed unless road safety measures are introduced.
Villagers claim dangerous drivers regularly jump traffic lights on the blind corners at the junction of High Street, Church Street and School Lane causing a number of serious accidents.
Furious residents held a protest at the black spot to raise awareness of what they describe as “an accident waiting to happen.”
Chris Cordrey spearheads the campaign to make Wargrave’s streets safer after he was involved in two road rage incidents at the notorious hot spot.
He has since documented more than 150 cases at the junction involving near misses and speeding drivers reported by fed up residents who have criticised local MP, Theresa May, the police and Wokingham Borough Council for a lack of action to curb reckless road users.
“Last November, I was waiting at the traffic lights in High Street from the direction of Twyford when a car came up behind me, overtook me and jumped the red light,” said Chris, 71, who has lived in Wargrave for 40 years.
“I was absolutely shocked at such reckless behaviour because it could have easily resulted in a collision with other vehicles crossing the junction or hitting pedestrians. Then in January another driver overtook my car in School Lane just to get through a red light and raced away towards Henley.
“That kind of driving is thoughtless and dangerous, yet it is something responsible motorists as well as pedestrians fear every time they approach the junction.”
Chris posted his experiences online and was astounded when more than 150 people responded with similar stories to his own terrifying experiences.
He added: “Drivers told how despite being given a green light, they were almost hit by vehicles racing through a red light. Pedestrians say they fear walking on the narrow pavements to get to shops or houses.”
Another local resident, Shaun Caradine, had his Ford Kuga written off after a driver smashed into it while he was stationary at the traffic lights.
“I was sitting at the front of a line of cars waiting to turn left towards Twyford,” he explained.
“When the lights turned green, I pulled away and suddenly a car from the Twyford direction jumped the red light and crashed straight into me. I was badly shaken and my car was a write off. The other driver at first tried to deny what he did but the driver behind me was a witness. Even so, I only received £9,000 from the insurance for a car worth £20,000.”
Mr Caradine said plans to build thousands of new homes further up the A4 would lead to increased traffic and accidents.
“No one in authority seems to want to take this matter seriously but something needs to be done or there will be another serious accident,” he added.
Despite numerous complaints to Thames Police, Wokingham Borough Council and local MP, Theresa May, campaigners claim the dangerous driving is being ignored.
Mr Cordrey said the village’s concerns were being pushed from “one department to another” with no one prepared to take the complaints seriously.
“I actually bumped into Theresa May recently at a petrol station and reminded her of the problem but all she said was to keep her informed,” he added.
“We need our MP to support us not ignore us. It is the same with the Borough Council and the police. We feel no one is listening or wants to take the situation seriously. Will it take a death before they do something? Are they prepared for that conversation?”
He said residents could install their own 20mph signs as well as other road safety measures if they continued to be ignored by officials.
“If they don’t take action then we’ll do it ourselves. We’ll put up warning signs and mages of crashed cars. We could even install a camera to try and catch dangerous drivers. It won’t be perfect but we have to do something because the problem is an accident waiting to happen.”
Cllr John Halsall who represents Remenham, Wargrave and Ruscombe, urged the Borough to hold a “proper traffic study” in the village.
“There is a traffic problem in Wargrave but there is no magic bullet. Traffic needs to flow and people need protection,” he said.
“The current administration prefers to ignore the problem because they don’t like cars and they don’t like Wargrave because it votes Tory.”
A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police said: “Any changes to the speed limit or road restrictions remain matters for the council, however the Wokingham North Neighbourhood Policing Team is aware of concerns from the community in Wargrave surrounding the traffic lights on the crossroads and has been in liaison with Wokingham Borough Council.”
And a spokesperson for Wokingham Borough Council said: “We take the safety of our residents very seriously.
“We know there are some residents with concerns about speeding and running red lights at the Wargrave crossroad.
“Both of these issues are the responsibility of the police to enforce, but our traffic management team is working with them to see if there are any changes that would make the junction safer.”
Wokingham Today contacted Mrs May’s office for a comment, but they had not done so as we went to press. Cllr Halsall is not facing re-election this year.
