To those passing through, Bracmote appears to be a quaint location, lined with picturesque cottages, spacious homes, and a vibrant community. But the idyllic village is also home to a stretch of Nottinghamshire road that locals have described as "dangerous" and where they say accidents seem to happen "every week".
Town Street, accessed by Bramcote Island, leads into the village and takes commuters through to Chilwell and Beeston. Those living on the street says the narrow road, lined with cottages, schools and pubs, has become a popular "rat run" with commuters looking to cut out the A52, when driving from Stapleford to Beeston.
Once drivers pass the White Lion pub heading away from the A road, they navigate a tight, blind left-hand corner, surrounded by rock, where Town Street turns to Chilwell Lane. Known colloquially as Devil's Bend. The stretch is well-known by those in the immediate and surrounding areas and has a local reputation for being a tricky turn to make, with some even choosing to avoid the route altogether.
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But those who call the area home have become frequently frustrated with how some vehicles are being driven through the area, sharing that accidents happen "all time time". Nottinghamshire County Council said it has made improvements to the road over recent years, as well as installing interactive speed signs on either side of the bend.
Now locals have shared what life is like close to the street, where a vehicle was flipped onto its roof in a collision at the turn in the morning of May 11. Stephen Cartwright, a supervisor at the White Lion pub in Town Street, said: "It's [accidents are] all the time. It's known for accidents here and it's not a surprise when you hear about it.
"There's one like every week. I've been working here for the past few months and know the area, but that road is really old, I think they have mirrors on the walls but they don't help. People do speed around here.
"I think people need to be more careful." Stephen's concerns about drivers speeding up the road were echoed by a homeowner in Town Street. They said: "The whole road is dangerous.
"People drive far too fast on this road and there's a young nursery, so people walking down with kids too. I think the council needs to get involved with putting in some kind of camera.
"Devil's Bend is also a bus route, and people fly down there too fast. It's a cut-through for everybody and it's become a rat run." Residents say the road is always busy with cars, buses and sometimes lorries, but can be particularly congested between 7.30am and 9am and 3.30pm and 6pm.
The road pavement is occasionally narrow when heading up to Devil's Bend, and there is often not enough space for two people to pass without one having to venture onto the busy road.
Those living on the road also note that lorries of the seven-and-a-half-tonne weight limit often attempt to travel down the street, only to arrive at Devil's Bend and realise the turn is too tight to navigate, forcing them to reverse back out.
Wayne Dykes, a 64-year-old joiner, described the road as "ridiculous" and the bend as "scary". He said: "It needs to be made one way. The amount of traffic on the road is ridiculous, I have a van and getting around that bend is scary."
Town Street was temporarily closed in February 2021 after a small landslide caused one of the walls at the corner to collapse. The road, between its junction with Cow Lane and Common Lane, was cordoned off for 11 days.
"It was bliss, it was so peaceful," added Mr Dykes. Tracey Roe, 59, added: "I've been here eight years and it's a lot busier than it used to be.
"It's busy all day and only really gets quiet at night. I try and avoid driving around Devil's Bend because it feels dangerous. Christie Garner, a 31-year-old civil servant living in the area, said: "It's annoying because people do speed up the road, people just drive through and honk at cars who have to park on the street [because there are no driveways]."
A Highways manager from Nottinghamshire County Council said: “We understand residents’ concerns about Town Street in Bramcote and have made improvements at the location in the past, including improvements to the road surface which have had a positive impact. There are interactive speed signs on either side of the bend approximately 200m away, along with a sign which indicates the weight restriction.
“As with all speed limits, we rely on road users to drive considerately and appropriately within the limit and to adhere to all weight limit restrictions. Where speeding does occur, it is an enforceable offence and tickets are issued by Nottinghamshire Police.
“Residents can report concerns about speeding to us through our ‘Make a new highways request’ page on our website: https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/transport/roads/make-a-new-highways-request.
"They can also report the misuse of weight restricted routes by lorries on our website using this link: Report the misuse of weight restricted routes by lorries | Nottinghamshire County Council.”
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