HIGHWAYS chiefs are facing a demand to install speed cameras at the eastern end of the A39 Withycombe Straight following an horrific crash which killed two local women.

West Somerset coroner Michael Rose told the inquest into the deaths of 39-year-old mother-of-two Victoria Gould and great-grandmother Jean Turner, 89, that it was the only way to ensure that drivers did not exceed the speed limit.

At the hearing in Bridgwater last Thursday, Mr Rose said he was concerned by the high number of fatalities on the road - particularly between Williton and Minehead - with five deaths over the last five years and 17 serious injuries.

Mr Rose said that section of the A39 had changed little over the last 50 years, apart from the introduction of a three-lane system on the Withycombe Straight.

But he said he was aware the accidents were largely due to driver error and speed and, although speed cameras were not popular, they would ensure that motorists slowed down when coming off a fast section of road.

The inquest was told that Mrs Gould and Mrs Turner - who both lived in Minehead - died from traumatic injuries sustained in the accident, which happened at about 6pm on the outskirts of Bilbrook on February 5.

Witnesses and police investigations revealed that Mrs Gould had probably been travelling between ten and 15 miles above the 60mph speed limit when she lost control of her silver BMW and ploughed into a Renault Scenic in which Mrs Turner was a back seat passenger.

Mr Rose said if speed cameras had been installed at the time of the accident, two people would still be alive and two others would not have sustained serious injuries.

Michael Capel, Mrs Turner's son-in-law and the driver of the Renault, shattered both his wrists and fractured his sternum and ribs in the collision.

His wife Janet, the front seat passenger, also fractured her sternum and ribs and suffered a cut on her thigh, injuries to her fingers and multiple cuts and bruises to her shins.

Mr Capel, a retired schools inspector and senior City and Guilds development officer, told the hearing that he and his family had been returning to Minehead from a shopping trip and day out.

He said he was at the head of a line of cars as he left Bilbrook, travelling at between 35 and 40mph.

As he rounded the bend marking the beginning of the Withycombe Straight he could see the lights of the traffic coming towards him.

Mr Capel said he was aware that the lead vehicle appeared to "dip" as if it had hit a drain or pothole and started to swing or turn towards the centre of the road.

"The next thing I knew, my airbag had gone off," he said.

Mrs Gould died at the scene and Mrs Turner some hours later in Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton.

Mr Capel said that for seven weeks after the accident he was unable to do anything for himself: "I was like a newborn baby," he said.

"Although life is beginning to return to normal, it will never be the same. I do not have the mobility in my wrists that I had before."

Motorist Andrew Newman told the inquest that he had been overtaken by the BMW just after he had overtaken a vehicle in front of him.

He said he had been travelling close to the speed limit but was beginning to slow down.

"It [the BMW] was going quite a bit quicker than me - ten or 15mph more than me.

"I was aware it was going quite fast for the corner. I saw the lights going up in the air and I saw a cloud of dust."

Another motorist, Christopher Govier, described the BMW as "flying past" him shortly before the accident.

Returning a verdict of accidental death on both victims, Mr Rose said it was a very tragic case.

He said Mrs Gould had been on her way to see a friend but had no need to be in a hurry.

However, she was travelling at excessive speed and lost control of her vehicle as she approached a bend at the end of the Withycombe Straight.

"I am satisfied that Mr Capel was driving at a proper speed and perfectly well," said Mr Rose.

"There was nothing he could do - it was a tragic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

After the inquest, Mr and Mrs Capel, who live in Dunster, said they endorsed Mr Rose's call for speed cameras and were pleased that he said he would be writing to Somerset County Council on the issue.

"We want to thank the coroner for making this recommendation," said Mrs Capel.

"We have met so many people who have experienced accidents at this bend - something has to be done to avoid anyone else going through what has happened to us."

Mrs Capel said she and her family wanted to thank everyone who had helped them following the accident, including the police and other motorists at the scene.