ANGRY villagers have formed a campaign group to protest against delays to make safe an accident blackspot.

Residents in Longnewton, near Stockton, are angry over council moves to shelve plans for a new junction on the A66.

Residents Against Interchange Delay (Raid) was formed last week by members of the parish council who have been campaigning for the reinstatement of the original timetable for the building of the long-awaited grade separated junction on the A66.

Work was due to start this year but it was announced last month that the start had been shelved for at least three years.

Dave Williams, parish council chairman and a member of Raid, said: "This campaign to get a new junction has been going on for the best part of 20 years. We thought we were finally going to get our junction and instead we find we have to wait another three years before it is even considered."

The campaign group has already written dozens of letters of protest to the Secretary of State for Transport. Many other individuals and organisations have collected hundreds of signatures for a petition. They are now encouraging villagers to send a letter of objection to Durham Tees Valley Airport's recently submitted planning application for the expansion of airport facilities to Darlington Borough Council.

Campaigners claim that the transport assessment in the application includes wrong information on the start date for building of the A66 junction.

Dave Williams, parish council chairman and a member of Raid, said: "The entire basis of the application is founded on the incorrect assumption that the required infrastructure to accommodate the growth in both passenger and freight services is, or will be, in place in readiness for the significant increase in traffic volumes on the adjacent road network.

"I would urge all councillors and officers when deliberating the applications to examine their consciences and give due weight to the undoubted consequences of approving the proposed development without the interchange.

"Approval will almost certainly lead to many more deaths and injuries at the already notorious east end A66 junction."