A CAMPAIGNER battling to widen a junction said it needed to be given top priority after a crash in which a van ran into a shop window.

For almost 50 years, residents have been complaining about the narrow exit and entrance to Coltsgate Hill's junction with North Street, in Ripon.

Ripon city councillor Rosemary Curlewis said the latest incident highlighted the frustration felt by drivers and pedestrians.

She said: "The latest accident happened at about 7am, fortunately at a time when there were few people about.

"I shudder to think what the consequences could have been if this had been at a busy time on one of the main routes into Ripon."

The vehicle ended up embedded in Castle Repro's, a reproduction furniture shop in North Street, shattering the window and damaging furniture inside.

Coun Curlewis recently collected 700 names on a protest petition which called for improvements to the junction.

She said: "Feelings are running so high that I could have gone on collecting hundreds more names on the petition."

The junction is so narrow that two large vehicles cannot pass each other.

Often, pedestrians have to step aside because they feel threatened by the size of vehicles which encounter problems.

North Yorkshire County highway chief Mike Moore said he hoped to resolve the issue by the next meeting of the area committee on November 6.

Mr Moore said that a scheme to improve the junction was linked to development west of Ripon Market Place.