Susan and Richard Gledhill are now waiting anxiously to see if their garden wall will have to be repaired for yet a fifth time.

Cars can't seem to avoid ploughing into the wall.

But the incidents are long past a joke for the couple at their home in Leeds Road, Howden Clough, Birstall.

So far, four cars have smashed into the wall. The most recent mishap, in April, involved the death of a young driver, Craig Hammill, 26, of Howden Clough Road, Bruntcliffe, Morley.

His Vauxhall Calibra careered off notorious Howden Clough Road, hit a lamppost and smashed into the Gledhills' wall.

Mr Hammill's passenger, Jayne Staveley, 23, of Tingley, is still being treated at St James's Hospital, Leeds, for leg injuries.

An inquest on Mr Hammill will be resumed next month to try to establish the cause of the accident.

Mrs Gledhill, 50, has organised a petition, so far signed by more than 500 people, calling for traffic calming measures on Howden Clough Road, which runs into Leeds Road. It is being presented to the highways and transportation committee tomorrow.

Sergeant Alan Kaye, head of Dewsbury sub-division's road traffic unit, is supporting the local people by recommending the 60mph speed limit on part of the road be reduced to 40mph.

Mrs Gledhill said her family had so far spent £3,000 repairing the wall, including £1,500 for the latest damage.

"It's got to the stage where the firemen say, 'See you next time' when they attend after an accident.

"There have been so many accidents on Howden Clough Road something needs to be done before another person is killed or seriously injured.''

Most of Howden Clough Road comes under Morley and is subject to a 60mph limit, which drops to 30mph before a sharp bend in the Kirklees boundary.

Mrs Gledhill said: "There are some chevrons near the bend warning drivers the speed limit changes, but these are obscured by overgrown grass.

"We could do with rumble strips on either side of the bend to slow down drivers, and police speed check signs like those in Bradford Road in Cleckheaton.

"It's fortunate no pedestrians were about when cars hit our garden wall on four occasions, but I am very worried because the community centre next door is used by a playgroup and cub scouts.

"They could be killed or injured if there is another accident.''

Kirklees Council highways officer Peter Salmon said he was consulting the police and Leeds Council on the speed limit. "We are waiting for their responses and a further report will be sumbitted to the committee on what action should be taken."

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