ROAD safety campaigners who have battled to make a notorious Southampton junction safer are celebrating victory.

The accident blackspot at South East Road’s junction with Kathleen Road in Sholing has seen dozens of crashes since the priorities changed in 2011.

Now transport chiefs at Southampton City Council have pledged to introduce measures to make the junction safer.

In November last year, residents who were sick of seeing accidents signed a 150-name petition, calling on the council to put in place new safety measures, such as speed bumps, a miniroundabout, a speed camera or bollards.

Because of the high number of crashes, the council commissioned a safety audit, carried out by a team from Hampshire County Council, who visited the danger spot in May.

These results were discussed in a meeting with residents, council officers and Sholing ward councillor Dan Jeffery, left.

Cllr Jeffery said: “I am really pleased that at long last the council are recognising what myself and local campaigners have been saying for the last two years, that things became worse and not better.

“I would like to thank safety campaigners and their petition because that has galvanised the local community and now we are starting to see solutions.

“I think this could save lives because if things were left as they were then we would see a more serious accident that could be a potentially life-threatening one.”

It is not yet clear what safety measures will be introduced, but a number of suggestions were put forward, including speed bumps on South East Road, and these will be discussed in further detail in the coming months.

One of the main campaigners fighting to make the junction safer is David Poore, from South East Road.

Mr Poore said: “We are happy that the review has proven what everybody has been saying, that it is an unsafe junction and is above the national average for accidents on junctions of the same nature.

“We hope that the council introduces safety measures in the coming months.”