A car collision which damaged one of the oldest buildings in Baldock has prompted a petition calling for a problem junction to be reviewed.

Almost 250 people have signed the petition to improve traffic measures at the crossroads where Royston, Road, Station Road, Clothall Road and Whitehorse Street meet.

Many are urging Herts County Council to consider changing it to a four-way junction allowing traffic from each road a free run in a sequence which would be safer for motorists and people living nearby.

Someone with more reason than most to shout about the issue is Alex Reekie, who has lived with his wife at Raban Court for 18 months.

On Friday morning a collision between two vehicles at the junction saw a Ford van crash into two beams which support the first floor of his house which dates back to the 1540s.

The 27-year-old told the Comet this week: “There have been so many near misses at this junction, in fact there have been three in the past 10 days.

“I think the frequency of collisions is so high because of the regular confusion of filter traffic.

“Drivers crashing into our building is something that we will always fear while we live here.

“The incident on Friday could have been a lot worse and thankfully nobody was hurt.

“This junction has been kept from becoming a four-way junction due to high traffic, but this has come at high cost to the drivers caught in these accidents and even to the adjacent heritage buildings.

“There are no filter lights, or even road markings for filter traffic at the junction.

“It is only a matter of time until this junction causes loss of life.”

One man, who was one of more than 70 who added comments with their signatures, said: “I grew up in Baldock and for as long as I can remember I can recall there being crashes and problems at this junction – it is ridiculous that nothing has been done.”

A woman who also signed the petition said: “There are too many accidents and too much confusion on this junction.

“There are no clear road markings, drivers trying to beat oncoming traffic.

“It is time to make it a four-way junction with each side taking turns. As long as the traffic lights are kept on a short changeover I cannot see the problem.”

A County Hall spokesman said: “We are happy to hear suggestions from residents about improvements that can be made to roads in their area.

“Petitions are one way that people can do this.

“If sufficient signatures are obtained, the petition will be considered by the appropriate council panel.

“We would also encourage residents to discuss issues that they feel need to be addressed with their local county councillor.”