Lucky to be alive (From Penarth Times)

Lucky to be alive

A PENARTH driver was lucky to escape with his life after his van slid off the rain-sodden road at one of the town's most notorious blackspots.

The man, who the police have not named but who is believed to be local, was travelling along Lavernock Road at around 9.45am on Thursday, January 2.

Witnesses say the van then swerved across the lane and collided with the street light, which snapped. The vehicle toppled onto its side, and was struck by the falling lamppost, which smashed the windscreen.

The emergency services were on the scene within minutes. An ambulance arrived, but fortunately the driver was unhurt and did not need medical attention.

The police set up warning cones to alert drivers using the busy route that there was an obstruction while Vale of Glamorgan Council workers struggled through the pouring rain to dig up the damaged concrete post and remove it.

A Vale of Glamorgan Council spokesman said: "We can confirm that an accident on the Lavernock Road damaged a lamp post. We attended the scene to make the post safe before removing it."

Although South Wales police are still investigating the accident, it is believed the driver's red pick-up style van lost traction on the skim of water, which was pouring off the adjoining fields.

A spokesman for Penarth police said: "We can confirm that there was an accident on Lavernock Road at approximately 9.45am. There was only one vehicle involved and there were no injuries. We cannot confirm the cause of the accident, although the bad weather may have been a factor."

Lavernock Road is fast becoming known as a notoriously bad route. The water running from the fields surrounding the road is seemingly becoming too much for the drains to cope with.

One Sully resident told the Times: "I'm no expert, but I'm sure more water is running off the fields since more houses were built. On this occasion, no one was hurt, which is a miracle. But it's only a matter of time before there is a serious accident along this road. It does get too slippery with the surface water and the spray makes visibility very poor."