IT is that heartthumping sound of brakes and screech of tyres that a Hampshire family always dread.

For it is usually the signal that another car has ploughed into a grassy bank just around the corner from their Fair Oak home.

Now Karen and Richard Grimshaw have launched a campaign for safety measures at the junction of Knowle Lane and Mortimers Lane before someone is killed.

The couple have several times gone to the rescue of motorists who have failed to stop at the junction of Knowle Lane, careered across Mortimers Lane and ended up embedded in a high grass bank.

The most recent incident was just before Christmas, when five young people had a lucky escape when their car struck the bank.

Mr Grimshaw said: "They all managed to get out of the car but they were dazed and frightened by what had happened."

Mrs Grimshaw added: "They just missed two metal posts carrying the signage pointing to Deer Park Farm Industrial Park."

The couple, who have witnessed five accidents in two years at the spot, fear the next time they run out of their house to help, they are going to find someone dead in the wreckage.

"The end of Knowle Lane is very badly lit. People can't see it," said Mrs Grimshaw.

"They hit the brakes at the last minute, causing wheels to lock and the car to skid out of control."

In a letter to Hampshire County Council, Mrs Grimshaw has called for lighting at the junction of Knowle Lane and Mortimers Lane, an anti-slip surface and a "slow down" sign.

A spokesman said the council would be examining police accident records for the junction and taking "appropriate response".

The council is also organising a meeting with the Mortimers Lane Action Group to discuss speed issues.

The spokesman added: "We will continue to liaise with them in the hope of finding an agreeable solution."