HIGHWAY chiefs have launched an attempt to prevent huge lorries from toppling over and crashing down on the pavement beside a Hampshire roundabout.

The county council has unveiled warning signs on approaches to the busy Rushington roundabout in Totton as well as introducing a 20mph speed limit for truckers.

Council bosses are also looking at moving the pavement further away from the road to prevent pedestrians being crushed in any future crashes.

It follows a spate of accidents in which lorries have overturned while attempting to negotiate the roundabout. No-one has been seriously hurt but at least one of the vehicles flattened the barrier between the road and the pavement.

Totton councillor David Harrison has spent more than a year campaigning for safety to be improved.

He said: "I'm pleased we now have signage on all approaches to the roundabout - hopefully this will significantly reduce the chances of more lorries tipping over.

"However I still think the pavement should be moved back in case it happens again. I've pressed Hampshire highways to undertake this further work."

One of the theories surrounding the accidents is that the road's "adverse camber" could be a contributory factor.

Cllr Rob Humby, the county council's executive member for environment and transport, confirmed that the new 20mph speed limit was only advisory.

He added: "We are considering a scheme to move the footpath further away from the road and are undertaking feasibility work to determine if this can be done without any impact on the utility infrastructure in the verge.

"We anticipate our investigations and other technical work will be completed in the coming months."

It follows several incidents in which lorries heading east on the A35 have toppled over on the roundabout, resulting in long tailbacks.

The most recent crash happened in May 2017, when an HGV overturned at 7am, causing rush-hour chaos.

In April 2015 a lorry came to grief at the same spot and caught fire, forcing the police to close the road in both directions.

Cllr Harrison raised the issue with highway bosses amid fears someone could be killed if the accidents continued.

Speaking in 2017 he said: “In every case the driver seems to have escaped unhurt and it’s only good fortune that no one else has been hurt.

“The lorries have all tipped over at the same spot, completely crushing the safety barrier.

"If pedestrians had been walking along the pavement there’s a very high chance they would also have been crushed.”