A143 safety fears meeting planned

PARISH councillors are due to meet police officers and highway officials tonight to voice their concerns over the safety of the A143 road where a fatal accident occurred earlier this week.

The private meeting was organised before mother-of-two Ann Nobbs, 53, of Brome, near Eye, was killed when a car driven by her husband, Terry, left the Needham bypass, near Harleston, and ploughed into an earth embankment.

But the accident will be among those cited as reasons for trying to improve the safety of the road – the major holiday route to Great Yarmouth and also used by hundreds of lorries each day.

The stretch of the A143 between Scole and Harleston, particularly the crossroads at Billingford, has been the scene of a number of serious accidents in recent years.

Ron Johnson, a county councillor who lives near the A143 at Brockdish, said: "I have been pushing for along while to have some improvements on the stretch between Brockdish and Billingford and to get something done at the Harleston roundabout at Needham.

"We have asked for signs as the camber of the road is all wrong and people don't realise they are approaching a roundabout."

Tonight's meeting will be attended by members of Brockdish, Scole and Needham parish councils.

Meanwhile, Mr Nobbs, who has rib, leg and face injuries was said yesterday to remain in a "stable" condition in the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

Mr and Mrs Nobbs were thought to have been on their way home when their car left the carriageway and hit the roadside bank just before 5 am on Wednesday. Police are trying to establish what caused the crash.

The accident caused the closure of a section of the A143 for more than five hours.

Police are appealing for anyone who may have seen the green Jaguar Sovereign car travelling along the A143 or the accident itself to contact Sgt John Stanbrook-Evans, tel. 01953 424242.