A TELEPHONE box situated on the Skipton's accident-prone western bypass could be removed for safety reasons.

The Highways Agency is investigating the introduction of a range of safety measures including the removal of the phone box after a fatal crash in June which left a 22-year-old Bradford man and an 18-year-old Preston woman dead.

A study by the agency, conducted earlier in the year, revealed that there had been 23 accidents between 1993 and 1997 on that particular stretch of road, four which were fatal, eight serious and 11 slight.

It also found 80 per cent of the accidents were related to either manoeuvres into or out of lay-bys, loss of control or overtaking.

A Highways Agency spokesman said it was currently in discussion with North Yorkshire County Council over safety measures including the issue of the telephone box.

He added the telephone box had caused concern because it was thought that people were using the phone and then pulling out and doing a U-turn.

Skipton traffic sergeant Tom Smart said a major danger was that people travelling north were crossing the carriageway to reach the telephone and then pulling out across fast oncoming traffic.

He added it would be more sensible for at least one emergency phone to be on each side of the road.

He said: "Because of the volume of traffic on that road there must be a phone so people can summon help quickly in an emergency."

After the couple were killed, Coun Tom Mould, chairman of North Yorkshire County Council's highways committee called for a full investigation.

The Highways Agency also immediately pledged to introduce safety measures on the road later this year. Those measures included better lane separation with hatching down the middle of the road, improved white lining and signing, and restrictions on turning in and out of lay-bys.

The investigation has been welcomed by South Craven MP Ann Cryer.

She said: "There are a number of problems with this road and these have resulted in a number of accidents. People do sometimes think it is a dual carriageway and treat it as such.

"This is a major route for Yorkshire to the Dales and Lakes and thus involves a large number of caravans and similar slow moving traffic. As one of the few overtaking places on this route, people are keen to overtake on this section of road."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.