As backing for our A4 safety campaign continues to grow, people living on the stretch of the road between Beckhampton and Marlborough have added their voices to the protest. NIGEL KERTON and DEBBIE WAITE report

Derry Hill Boys Football Club has given its full backing to the Gazette's A4 Slow it Down campaign by putting our petition online at the club website.

The Club, whose members live mainly in Derry Hill, Studley and Calne, holds weekly training sessions at Bowood Sports Ground, next to the Soho Inn.

The club is situated on the brow of a hill with a 60 mile per hour speed limit, and members know at first hand the dangers of the road.

"Turning into our ground can, at times feel like risking your life," said chairman Alan Crocker.

"Of course the A4 has many accident hotspots, most notably the bottom of Derry Hill and the Studley crossroads, but for the parents and children visiting the club throughout the weekend, just turning in and out can be a frightening experience."

The entrance to the club lies on the brow of Black Dog Hill, heading down into Calne.

Like many access points off the main route, there is very little signage warning motorists of slowing vehicles.

"It's such a fast road that many parents, myself included, feel forced to put their brake lights on far in advance of the turning, to warn people behind us," said Mr Crocker.

"When we read about the Slow it Down campaign in the Gazette, we knew immediately that we wanted to do something to help.

"Our website is very popular, in fact most of our business and club news is done online, so we thought why not encourage people to put their name to it on the internet?"

As a resident of Derry Hill, Mr Crocker said he and many parents of children belonging to the club have become increasingly alarmed by the number of accidents on the A4.

"I have to admit, that I don't actually use Old Derry Hill at all anymore," said Mr Crocker.

"It's too much of a risk.

"I prefer to take the slightly lesser evil option of entering the A4 from Studley crossroads."

Mr Crocker added that the decision to put the Gazette petition online had been agreed by everyone at the Club.

"We think any traffic calming that can be introduced on this stretch of the A4 would benefit the safety of our members ," he said.

"We are probably the largest group of people to regularly turn off and onto the A4 and we want to see something done before any more deaths occur."

The four-mile stretch of the A4 between Chippenham and Calne has seen countless accidents.

In September, motorist Geoffrey Smith of Calne as killed when his car was in collision with another car and a lorry.

The Gazette is urging people throughout North Wiltshire to sign our Slow it Down campaign petition in a bid to lobby Wiltshire County Council to install improved safety measures on the road.

Supported by members of North Wiltshire District Council as well as Chippenham Mayor Desna Allen and Calne Mayor, Tony Trotman, around 3,000 people have already signed up.

The campaign has the backing of a number of high profile people including MPs James Gray and Michael Ancram.

The A4 from Calne to Chippenham crosses the border between the two MPs constituencies of North Wilthsire and Devizes.

Lord Lansdowne, whose home at Bowood is close to the A4, has also backed the cause by signing our petition.

Last Saturday scores of people queued to sign the petition when a demonstration was held in Chippenham town centre.

We are aiming to present our petition to the Highways department of Wiltshire County Council, in December.

So far the county has not come up with any concrete ways of improving road safety along the road and claims that driver error is the main problem.

But we, and the people of both Chippenham and Calne believe extra warning signs and a slower speed limit could help to make the road safer.

We want the county council to carry out a detailed investigation to assess the best way to improve road safety and stop accidents before another person loses their lives on this danger stretch of road.

Please pledge your support to the campaign by either signing petitions at the Gazette's offices in Market Place, Chippenham and Market Place, Devizes or sign online at Derry Hill Boys Football Club's website at www.dhbfc.org.uk.

Click the link in the bottom right hand corner of the page to access the online petition.