THE BIGGEST ammunition depot in Western Europe is set to undergo a safety revamp to stop HGVs filled with explosives being forced to queue on a busy road in south Warwickshire.
The B4100 Wentworth Avenue entrance to the MoD Kineton is along an unlit single carriageway with a 50mph speed limit, and bosses at the army base fear queuing lorries could be an accident waiting to happen.
They believe lorries waiting to deliver explosives pose a ‘serious risk’ as they are often forced to queue on the road waiting to access the site, which is the largest and most modern ammunition storage depot in Western Europe, receiving and distributing weapons and explosives to UK armed forces across the world.
Six traffic incidents have been logged on the road outside the gates in the past six years but the MoD say they have not involved any waiting lorries.
To improve safety plans have been submitted to Stratford District Council to install a new roundabout further up the round along with a car park for up to 34 vehicles to wait before they are given clearance to pass through to the base.
A spokesman said: “There is currently no provision for parking or waiting for drivers who need to obtain security clearance at the gate house before entering the site. Therefore these drivers must wait in the entry lane to the site which impedes pass holders and creates a road safety hazard as queues soon form back on to the B4100 due to the very limited vehicle parking space.
“This frequently results in traffic queuing within the central right turning lane on the B4100 while waiting for traffic at the main gate to clear. This poses a serious risk if a vehicle carrying explosive materials were to be in a collision with a high speed vehicle on the B4100.”
