Locals fear they will die after three major accidents in one weekend due to chaotic intersections, no safe crossings and pollution they can ‘taste in the air’

Furious residents fear they are living on Britain’s most dangerous street after three serious accidents in one weekend.

Locals in Catford, south-east London, are calling for council action after numerous accidents, daily traffic and pollution that you can ‘taste’.

During a ‘weekend of carnage’ in late September, Verdant Lane saw three serious crashes, often the result of frustrated drivers being reckless.

The first was on Saturday, September 28, when a BMW lost control at the junction with the A205 South Circular Road and crashed into a hearth shop.

The next day, a Mercedes collided with a bollard on the sidewalk after illegally cutting through an access road to avoid traffic on Verdant Lane.

Then, on Monday, a woman drunkenly crashed a stolen Tesla into the facade of a home belonging to an elderly woman who had recently died.

The driver has now pleaded guilty to criminal offences.

Gary Nolan, 37, who has been on the road for three years, said: ‘It is only a matter of time before a pedestrian or cyclist is killed given the traffic and reckless driving in the area.

“Traffic violations are an everyday occurrence and the weekend’s carnage is not surprising, but also unacceptable. The council’s inaction has been extremely frustrating.’

William Bloomfield, 36, a resident of Verdant Lane for five years, said: ‘We are a residential road, classed as a C road, but we get more traffic than some A roads.

“If I have to drive to work, it takes me about 25 minutes to get to the end of the road.”

Residents say there is a sense of lawlessness, which is not helped by chaotic junctions such as with the A205 Zuidrondweg.

They are calling on Lewisham Council to take action to reduce traffic volume on Verdant Lane and improve safety at junctions.

Anna Rieser, 33, who moved to Verdant Lane three years ago, said she regularly sees schoolchildren involved in near misses while trying to cross the road, where there are no safe crossings.

Another issue that worries residents is the level of pollution.

Mr Bloomfield said: “We have a lot of young families here, I have a young child myself.

‘The enormous amount of pollution you get from the traffic jams that are queued for two hours a day is really worrying.’

Nine-year-old Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, the first person in Britain to have air pollution recognized as a factor in her death, lived nearby.

In 2013 she died after an asthma attack and an inquest later found that pollution from the A205 South Circular Road made ‘a material contribution’ to her death.

Mrs Rieser, who has a one-year-old baby, said: ‘It’s a lovely street and we moved here during Covid when it was quiet. Now I never walk my own path anymore because I’m afraid of what that pollution will do to young lungs, but I go into the side streets.

‘I know we live in London but this level of pollution is not normal, I can literally taste it in the air.’

Mr Nolan added: ‘I repainted my window seals in August and there is already a thick layer of dust from engine fumes on them. When I see that, I really worry about what I’m breathing in.”

A spokesperson for Lewisham Council said: ‘Lewisham Council is actively working with local community groups to tackle traffic issues on Verdant Lane.

‘We are carrying out traffic surveys to assess vehicle volumes and speeds and are working with TfL to understand their input on potential road layout changes at the Verdant Lane junction and the A205 South Circular.

‘Through regular meetings with residents, we keep the community informed of our actions and assess requests for additional zebra crossings in the area.

‘We remain committed to working with TfL and the Department for Transport to improve road safety and raise awareness of drivers’ limitations, especially at peak times.’