A BROWNSHILL family is considering legal action against Gloucestershire County Council after becoming the latest victims in a spate of car crashes on a poorly maintained stretch of Chalford Road.

Steve Evans and his wife Julia Scott-Evans, both 48, say it is only a matter of time before someone is killed on the A419 near the bottom of Cowcombe Hill, where their silver Vauxhall Lupo was involved in a collision with another vehicle on Saturday afternoon.

The couple and their 10-year-old daughter Freja were travelling home from a trip to the cinema at 4pm when a car heading in the opposite direction skidded sideways into their lane, resulting in a collision which severely damaged both vehicles.

Now they are demanding the council takes urgent action to fix a poorly maintained road surface and raised manhole cover, which they believe caused the accident.

"Where is the duty of care?" said Mr Evans, a civil servant.

"The police said they have reported at least six accidents in the same spot to the county council and nothing has been done about it.

"In the hour I was waiting for the pick up truck one car skidded across the manhole and another car did a 180-degree turn at the same spot. Fortunately no one was coming the other way that time.

"I have since spoken to friends who have skidded on the same area.

"We want the council to sort the road out before there's a fatality. We are considering legal action as well because it's negligence."

The family were left with whiplash and bruising after the accident.

GCC spokesman Sarah Woods said the Highways Department had received four reports of accidents in the area around the crash spot in the last year, though it did not yet have data for November onwards.

"We have examined the road on previous occasions and have not identified any defects but we will check again very carefully," she said.

"We would appreciate any information from the drivers concerned that might be helpful.

"There is a lot of salt onthe roads at present, and with the icy conditions as well as the build up of salt and grime, the roads can be more slippery than usual. We would urge all drivers to drive with care, wherever they are."