A FUEL tank which came off a lorry after a collision at Penrhyndeudraeth and rolled across the road at school-time could have killed a child, worried campaigners say.

There are calls for action after another near-miss on the “dangerous” road which has seen numerous incidents in recent years.

The collision involving a flat-bed lorry on the A487 outside Deudraeth Garage saw its cargo – a large fuel bowser – roll out across the road, across a busy pavement before damaging a van on the garage forecourt.

The incident occurred at 8.30am on Monday morning, at the time when children were making their way to the nearby Ysgol Cefn Coch.

Gareth Evans, who runs Deudraeth Garage, witnessed the collision.

“There was a flat-bed lorry coming up the road, when there was a collision. The bowser fell off and spilt diesel everywhere before it was in collision with one of my vans,” he said.

“Luckily there were no schoolchildren on the pavement. The school is only around the corner, it doesn’t bear thinking about what could have happened. It’s happened a few times, too many really.”

Penrhyndeudraeth county councillor Gareth Thomas is also furious that the Welsh Government has not introduced “proper” safety measures, despite three years of calling for them.

Cllr Thomas has been demanding a crossing point be installed on the road and for vehicles to be banned from parking on the road opposite the garage as traffic is being forced out onto the wrong side of the road.

“It’s a significant problem and it’s only a matter of time before somebody gets severely injured or worse,” Cllr Thomas said.

“Lots of people - including children and elderly people - cross the road here to get to school or to the doctors, there’s three estates very close by.

“We’ve lost our lollipop lady in recent years, too, which only exacerbates the situation."

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