THESE are the crashes over the last 40 years that have made Amersham Hill one of the most notorious blackspots in the Wycombe district.

There have been numerous accidents involving lorries after their brakes failed while going down the hill into High Wycombe.

Now readers left stunned by last Thursday's tragedy are calling for action to make the area safer and prevent another fatal accident from happening.

Megan Boddy, who was in the office of Britannic Assurance in 1997 when a lorry lost control on Amersham Hill and crashed into the building said: "Yesterday's accident has brought it all flooding back. Luckily no customers were in our office at the time otherwise they would have been killed. I do hope the council will do something about the junction, although I am not sure what."

Stuart Shields, of Cedar Avenue, Hazlemere, said: "Something must be done to stop this happening again, as soon as possible."

Antony Atkins, of Great Missenden, added: "Was it necessary to route 38 tons of bricks and steel through the centre of a busy town. Will we ever know the price of complacent politicians and mad-cap planners?"

Another member of the public expressed similar thoughts when they said: "This recent tragedy highlights the need to build a High Wycombe by-pass more than ever."

Michelle Lenton, 29, of Roger Platt Estate Agents, Easton Street, High Wycombe, said: "They have definitely got to do something about the road, maybe ramps or something."

Rychard Goddard, manager of Wycombe Wines, Crendon Street, High Wycombe, added: "I ran out of the shop and saw people running down, others on mobiles and others just standing outside their offices.

"You feel so helpless and I was very shook up. Why aren't there crash barriers? HGVs are constantly coming down this huge hill.

"They need to do something. It was a nightmare absolutely horrible."

However, Paul Watters, a spokesman for the AA, said: "Unfortunately there are an awful lot of hills and you cannot stop lorries going down them. There may not be a lot that can be done to the road itself beyond an arrester bed, maybe. The questions that could be asked are things like whether lorries have dual circuit brakes, or maybe something like a dead man's handle.

"I would start looking at things like that."

Other suggestions include banning lorries from using Amersham Hill and making them use a different route.

Since Thursday, the Buckinghamshire County Council highways department has been swamped with callers asking what can be done to stop this happening again.

Council officers have said that they would not make any suggestions until the police investigation is complete.

That could take months.

The Bucks Free Press is inviting more readers to write in with their suggestions on how to improve safety on the hill. We we will put these ideas to the relevant bodies. Write to Clare Bourke, News Editor, Bucks Free Press, Gomm Road, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP13 7DW