Safety warning after 14 collisions on South Yorkshire road where young woman skidded to her death

Ellie Chappell was driving along the A614 Selby Road in Doncaster when she lost control of her car and careered into an oncoming vehicle after hitting a patch of ice on a bend.

The 21-year-old from Thorne was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision, between Lands End Road and Ferry Road, on January 2.

An inquest heard there had been 14 collisions on that stretch of road since 2011, four of which had resulted in serious injuries.

Two of those serious crashes happened on the same bend where Ms Chappell lost her life, with slippery road conditions quoted as a factor in both cases.

Slippery conditions were also said to have contributed to half of the remaining 10 collisions.

A coroner has now called for warning signs to be installed at the spot to prevent more deaths.

Nicola Mundy, senior coroner for South Yorkshire, wrote: "Given the number of road traffic incidents on this stretch of road and the proportion which recorded the slippery road as being a factor, I am concerned that the absence of any warning signs in this vicinity will put drivers at risk of incidents and death in the future."

Ms Mundy was writing to Doncaster Council's highways department in what is known as a 'Regulation 28 Report to Prevent Future Deaths'.

The report, which was sent on June 14 but only published on Friday, gave the council 56 days in which to respond with details of any action planned to address the concerns.

The inquest, which concluded on June 14, heard how Ms Chappell had been driving at a 'moderate' speed, well within the limit, on the day she died.

It was told the stretch of road was sheltered by surrounding bushes before opening out into an unsheltered area which would be more prone to ice on the carriageway,

Thousands of pounds was raised via an online fundraising page towards Ms Chappell's funeral costs.

A friend who set up the appeal described her as 'a beautiful person both outside and in', who she said 'would put a smile on anyone's face'.

Doncaster Council has been approached for a comment.