Work to fight floods on major road

The roadworks will be on the A361 between the A45 Daventry bypass and the entrance to Badby village, and include closing the stretch for 11 days.

Part of the works will try to address flooding on the corner close to the Newnham/Staverton crossroads – the location of the crash which killed 34-year-old Jamie Collins from Daventry.

Sharon Foster, clerk of Badby Parish Council, said: “There is a problem with flooding on this corner. And the problem is that coming from Badby you often can’t see it until you are going around the bend.

“We don’t know if flooding was a contributing factor to the collision there, but the crash has focused people’s thoughts on that corner.

“After the accident another vehicle went off the road there, but we assume there were no injuries as it wasn’t recorded by the police.

“We’ve had highways engineers out on a site visit to see what can be done to tackle the flooding. No road can be totally safe, but hopefully this will improve the situation.”

A spokesman for Northamptonshire County Council said: “The county council is carrying out drainage and carriageway maintenance works on the A361 south of Daventry between the A45 Stefen Way turning and the 40 mph signs at Badby.

“These works are planned to start on Monday, March 3, using traffic signals for the first phase. The second phase will involve a 24-hour closure on weekdays from Monday, March 10 to March 21.

“A closure for through traffic will be effective during the project and a suitable diversion put in place, but every effort will be made to maintain access for residents and businesses so far as possible.”