Road bosses have recommended plans for a £260,000 corrugated safety barrier at a canal where three young women died in accidents.

North Yorkshire County Council have produced a feasibility study for the site, but it will only be implemented if residents near the site give support.

Now the mother of one of the victims has called for people to back the plans for the site next to the Leeds-Liverpool Canal in Broughton Road, Skipton.

It comes after two accidents. Charlotte Wade, 18, of Gargrave, died when her car plunged into the canal. A year earlier Skipton teenagers Sarah Woolmer, 19, and Larissa Moore, 18, died in a similar crash.

Charlotte’s mother Julie said: “Representatives from the highways department came to see us at home with the results of the feasibility study and, although we’re happy with the recommendation, we need support from the public.

“We would really like people to rally behind us for the sake of the safety of our youngsters.”

A petition backing the family’s campaign was signed by 9,500 people and the feasibility study recommending the new barriers recognised the “strength of public opinion”.

A meeting of North Yorkshire County Council’s Craven Area Committee heard the town had been allocated £300,000 for road projects and, if the barriers went ahead, it would be at the expense of other road schemes which were in the pipeline.

District councillor David Heather said he felt frustrated that progress was slow and called for a temporary safety barrier.

He said: “We hear it could be September before we can move forward with this. I would urge the council to put in place temporary measures immediately. I would hate to think that there is another tragedy there.”

Chris Craven, area manager for highways, said the ‘lion’s share’ of the costs of the project – £160,000 – was being charged by BT for diverting optical fibres.

He said the work could be completed by October or November. The results of the consultation will be revealed in April.

Safety improvements including an anti-slip road surface were made to Niffany Corner last July in line with a police fatal accident report produced following Charlotte’s death.