DRIVERS' lives are at risk on a sharp Z bend where the only protection from dropping 20 feet into a canal are some "flimsy" plastic barriers, a concerned nearby resident has claimed.

Graham Booth, 63, a former architect who lives in Wolverley, said he had contacted Worcestershire County Council several times about the spot in Lea Lane.

He said that in November, 2006, a driver skidded off the road and was only prevented from plunging below by two trees and an "ancient crash barrier" consisting of a few posts and a bit of broken "scaffolding".

Mr Booth said: "This has gone on for far too long. If a driver was to hit the trees again he could be injured but if he dropped into the canal serious injury or death would result."

He added: "There is a sharp bend on the road and cars come up and down it at incredible speeds.

"All that is needed for a serious accident to happen is for the road to be a bit slippery or for the driver to misapply the brake.

"It could happen today or it could happen next year. It depends on when someone is unlucky enough to misjudge the bend."

Mr Booth said the council had kept assuring him the plastic barriers were only a temporary solution and that an engineer was looking into the problem. He added the solution would have to be an Armco barrier, similar to the barriers used on motorways.

He explained: "I can't believe it would be cheap to do this and that could be a factor. That is only a supposition but it certainly can't be down to an oversight, as I keep reminding them about it."

He added: "Nevertheless, until it is done, the only thing that is preventing a worse accident from happening is a line of flimsy barriers."

Lee Shrimpton, county council spokesman, said: "We've been aware of the situation at Lea Lane for some time and have explored a number of potential solutions for enhancing the safety of the road. "One of these ideas was to look at an Armco barrier but this would more than likely infringe on the width of the carriageway itself which, as those who've travelled along the road will already know, is quite narrow. "This, in itself, could lead to more accidents, rather than reducing risk." He added: "There are also a number of other issues in the surrounding area which we are looking at to ensure that stretch of road is made as safe as possible."