TWO serious road accidents at the same crossroads in Petersfield in the space of six days have led concerned residents to call for action at what has been described as a dangerous blackspot.

On Wednesday afternoon last week, two vehicles collided at the Durford crossroads, sending a Citroen BX crashing into a driveway and destroying Heath Road resident Geoff Turvil's gate and garden fence.

On Tuesday Mr Turvil returned home to find another accident, which involved a Peugeot Expert van that had careered off the road, through a BT service box and into a hedge.

He said the area outside his home "like a war zone".

Police closed Heath Road while the scene of the first accident was cleared. The 23-year-old driver of the Citroen BX, which was involved in the collision with a Ford Mondeo, was taken to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth with cuts and bruises.

On Tuesday a recovery vehicle was called to pull the Peugeot Expert van from a hedge on the side of the road after the accident with a Toyota Avensis. Neither driver was seriously hurt.

Mr Turvil, who has lived on the corner of the crossroads for four years, says he has witnessed many similar accidents and believes it is only a matter of time before a more serious incident takes a life.

He said: "The road has a 30 mph speed limit but only has two signs. One is at Pullens Lane and the other is a mile away.

"This is a residential area and the long straight stretch seems to be used as a rat run away from Petersfield.

Pulens Lane and Heath Road are often busy with traffic travelling to the Taro Leisure Centre or the East Hampshire District Council offices at Penns Place.

Mr Turvil says the pavements are also well used by people walking to work or by parents and children making their way to school.

He said: "Last Wednesday's accident occurred at about 3-45 pm. If term had started and it was a school day, the police could have been dealing with a much more serious incident.

"Likewise, if a BT engineer had been working at the service box on Tuesday he would have been killed."

Now Mr Turvil hopes police and the highways authority take notice of the accidents at the Durford crossroads and take necessary action to slow vehicles down.

He said: "I don't know what the answer is and I am not a fan of speed bumps and pinch points in the road, but something needs to be done."