A Crewe councillor has appealed directly to a senior Cheshire East Council director over road safety fears, following seven crashes in six years on a stretch of road used daily by schoolchildren.

Cllr James Pratt, who represents Crewe St Barnabas, has written to Cheshire East Council's Executive Director of Adults, Health and Integration, Helen Charlesworth, saying he has "exhausted every other route available" in trying to secure action on Minshull New Road.

The Conservative councillor says repeated concerns raised with highways officers since 2024 have failed to produce meaningful progress despite a series of collisions near Leighton Academy.

His letter highlights seven incidents since 2020 in which vehicles left the carriageway and crossed onto pavements used by pupils, parents and residents.

Among them were crashes into the Leighton Brook bridge parapet in July 2024 and March 2025, damage to safety barriers outside Leighton Academy in April 2025, and a vehicle striking a wall near the Rolls Avenue junction on 7 June this year.

Cllr James Pratt, who represents Crewe St Barnabas, has written to Cheshire East Council's Executive Director of Adults, Health and Integration, Helen Charlesworth (Photo: Nub News).

"The fact that no pedestrian has been seriously injured is down to luck rather than the effectiveness of any road safety measures," he wrote.

Cllr Pratt said concerns were first formally raised through a member enquiry in March 2024.

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He later met representatives from Leighton Academy and eventually secured a meeting with highways officers in November 2025 after what he described as significant delays.

At that meeting, he presented collision data and asked what action would be taken to improve safety on the route.

However, he claims promised follow-up discussions never took place.

Cllr Pratt also questioned why further surveys are needed when the collision record already points to a clear problem.

He said: "At some point, Cheshire East Council must stop collecting data and start responding to what the evidence is already telling us.

"The question should no longer be whether there is an issue, but what action is going to be taken to address it."

The councillor argues Minshull New Road continues to be heavily used as a rat run despite the opening of the £50 million North West Crewe Package.

He is calling for a review of the road's collision history, an explanation of why expected safety measures have not been delivered, a timetable for improvements and clarity over who is accountable for addressing residents' concerns.

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"Seven collisions in six years, all involving vehicles crossing the pavement, should be setting alarm bells ringing," he said.

"We should not wait until a child, parent or other pedestrian is killed or seriously injured before deciding that action is necessary."

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