Furious mum claims neglected railings are putting lives at risk

Mrs Jade Bradley was at home in Lowerhouse Lane on Monday morning when a car skidded on black ice and ploughed into the wall of her house.

To make matters worse, the mum-of-two had reported a damaged railing, which would have stopped the oncoming car, to Burnley Council in January after it was damaged in an earlier accident.

She said: “I am absolutely livid. I originally logged the damaged railing online with Burnley Council, but no-one came out to replace it.

“When the accident happened this Monday I rang the council to complain and I was told it had been passed on to Lancashire County Council because it was a highways matter.

“However, when I rang the county council I was told nothing had been passed on.

"Luckily, this happened in half-term week.

“On a normal school week my husband would have been outside taking the children to school.

"I dread to think what could have happened.”

Mrs Bradley knew the young woman driver of the car who was taken to hospital with shock.

She added: “We were in the kitchen at home when the accident happened at about 8-45am. There had been a lot of snow and ice the night before and it’s a very bad bend outside our house.

“There was this huge bang and the house vibrated. We helped the driver out of her car and made her a brew before the ambulance arrived. All of this could have been averted if either of the councils had taken some responsibility.”

A Burnley Council spokesman said: “We’re very sorry to hear about these incidents.

"Matters such as this are dealt with by Lancashire County Council as highways authority and we would normally expect the resident to have been advised that she should contact Lancashire County Council to report the matter herself, as she knows all the details.

“However it appears that this hasn’t happened and we apologise for any confusion and delay that has caused.”

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: “We’re aware of the damage to pedestrian guardrails and are due to replace them.

“The safety record for this location is good and we’re not aware of a pattern of similar incidents.

“The barriers are there to prevent pedestrians from crossing where it would not be safe to cross, and alert anyone crossing to the change in level between the road and the footway.

“They are not designed to act as a safety barrier to protect pedestrians or property from vehicles.”