A COUNCILLOR whose brother died at an accident blackspot is backing a call for safety measures on the route.

Councillor Val Miller's brother was killed near Birk Brow, on the A171 - a main route from Teesside to the holiday resorts of Whitby and Scarborough.

Last year, Cleveland Fire Brigade dealt with eight casualties near Birk Brow, making it the third worst accident blackspot in the Cleveland area, behind the A19 between Wolviston and Sheraton and Dixon's Bank at Marton, Middlesbrough.

People in Lockwood Beck and the Stanghow area have been campaigning for safety improvements on the A171 between the Stanghow Road junction, near Birk Brow, and the Smeathorns road junction, for more than 18 months.

The junctions were recently looked at by consultants Faber Maunsell, who have carried out a detailed analysis of injury accidents on the A171 in the past five years, on behalf of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, and identified specific areas in need of investigation due to accident rates.

Recommendations by council officials and Development Scrutiny Committee councillors for improving the stretch of road, which will be considered by cabinet members in the next few weeks, include an extension of the 50mph speed limit from Birk Brow to a point just east of Smeathorn Road.

Coun Miller said she thought it was worth spending £3,000 to have the 50mph limit extended.

"Local people have a lot of local knowledge and I think we should be listening to them. My brother was killed there.

"The road is a race track. There is such a mixture of traffic, from tourists, strangers to the area and caravans, and it's not a motorway.

"We have horrific notices about casualty figures and relatives can be upset, but I think it is a good thing to have.

Consultants also recommended improvements to the following junctions with the A171: the B1380 to Ainstable Road, Ainstable Road to Fairfield Avenue, Flatts Lane to Windle Bridge roundabout, Charltons to Stanghow Road, Smeathorns Road to Grinkle Lane. Other junctions, at Fairfield Avenue, Swans Corner roundabout, Charltons and Stanghow Road were also highlighted.

The consultants discounted all other links and junctions because of their relative lack of accidents. But they recommended advanced junction warning signage for all other junctions along the length of the A171 be assessed and implemented where appropriate.

It is thought that the proposals could be carried out this financial year.