COUNCIL chiefs "do not have a full picture of road safety" along a route in Weymouth which has seen a number of crashes it is claimed.

There were at least five crashes in Radipole Lane at Southill in 2023.

The 30mph stretch of road from the Wessex Roundabout up to the junction with Field Barn Drive has seen a number of incidents including cars hitting parked vehicles, a lamppost and walls.

While the cause of the crashes are under investigation, it has sparked calls for authorities to see if there's anything that could be done to make the area safer.

READ: Investigations continue into Radipole Lane car crash

Dorset Echo: thousands of pounds worth of damge was casused as a car ploughed into a string of parked cars in Octoberthousands of pounds worth of damge was casused as a car ploughed into a string of parked cars in October (Image: Supplied)

No one was injured in any of the incidents which means that Dorset Police does not report the collisions to Dorset Council – something local councillor Peter Barrow believes is skewing the council’s perception of how safe the road is.

READ: Radipole Lane crash sees residents call for action

Dorset Echo: The garden wall of a residents home near the Weymouth Manor Road care home on Radipole Lane was damaged after a car hit it The garden wall of a residents home near the Weymouth Manor Road care home on Radipole Lane was damaged after a car hit it (Image: Andy Jones)

Cllr Barrow represents the ward of Radipole on Dorset Council and is proactively trying to get the council and the police to engage with the issue.

READ: Dramatic crash at Weymouth accident hotspot

Dorset Echo: A lamppost was hit opposite Emmanuel Church causing the radiator to burst A lamppost was hit opposite Emmanuel Church causing the radiator to burst (Image: Supplied)

He said: “One aspect is that the police only has to report road traffic collisions (RTCs) to Dorset Council where someone is injured.

“So, Dorset Council don’t get officially informed of any RTC where no one is injured, and this is the vast majority of RTCs.

“As such, Dorset Council do not have a full picture of road safety on the roads they are responsible for and therefore they may think their roads are safer than they actually are, and therefore Dorset Council will not take actions that are actually necessary.

“Plus it’s very difficult for councillors to make a case for road improvements; we get loads of reports from residents about RTCs, dangerous occurrences and near misses etc, yet when we go to Dorset Council they say there’s no evidence of issues."

READ: Concerns over speeding along Radipole Lane in Weymouth

He added: “Traffic on Radipole Lane has increased significantly over the past few years as a result of several new developments, these being the new Chickerell Link Road, the hundreds of new houses in Chickerell, the new Aldi and the new Link Estate.

“I’m going to take this up with the Police and Crime Commissioner at the formal meeting of the Police and Crime Panel on February 1.”

READ: Two-vehicle crash on Radipole Lane causing slow traffic

A spokesperson for Dorset Council said: “Dorset Police provide us with regular reports of highway issues that need investigation. It is national policy for the police to only report road traffic collisions to local highway authorities when they involve injury, so Dorset Council has also developed a system where non-injury and near-miss incidents can be properly reported to us by the public. If we find there is cause for concern, we will investigate and consider appropriate measures that can alleviate road safety issues.

“We are working with the local councillor to see if there are underlying reasons for incidents along this road.

"For more information on Road Safety and to report concerns, please visit www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/roads-highways-maintenance/road-safety”