RENEWED calls are being made for safety improvements at a new mini roundabout near a controversial supermarket in a busy Chandler's Ford shopping centre.

Fryern Residents' Association wants action following a two-car crash at the road layout which was introduced at the junction of Oakmount Road and Winchester Road

on October 23 as part of traffic measures aimed at catering for the new Waitrose supermarket.

Just three weeks after the installation, Eastleigh council's Chandler's Ford and Hiltingbury local area committee was told that signs gave insufficient warning to drivers of the new layout.

Fryern Residents' Association member Mrs Pauline Rhodes told committee members the size, height and location of signs reading "New roundabout ahead" were inadequate.

She said drivers already had to deal with the "distraction" of shops and road junctions in the busy shopping centre and added: "To my knowledge there have already been numerous near-misses and several accidents."

But following a crash at the roundabout last Wednesday evening association chairman Malcolm Mathews said the residents' group would now be stepping up its bid to get higher profile signs.

He said: "We have noticed a lot of very close incidents and Wednesday evening's accident was a bad one. One car had the front end taken right off and the other car's side was pushed in.

"The current signs are obviously inadequate because people are just not seeing the roundabout."

Police confirmed there had been two slight injuries resulting from a collision at the roundabout involving a Vauxhall Astra and a Renault Laguna.

The 23-year-old female driver of the Astra was taken to Winchester's Royal Hampshire County Hospital with chest pains and the 43-year-old male driver of the Laguna went to the same hospital suffering from a shoulder injury.

Meanwhile, local councillors Godfrey Olson, Colin Davidovitz, Mike Hughes and Ernie Pullen have toured the area examining the impact of traffic on the surrounding area

following last week's opening of the store.

They said local residents had already complained of Waitrose staff parking outside their homes and blocking narrow roadways and the councillors pledged to instigate moves to combat the problem.

Cllr Davidovitz said: "Waitrose is a very attractive store - and that has always been our concern.

"We shall be keeping a close eye on the situation to see how our roads cope with the build- up of traffic as the word gets around that the store is open."

Mr Mathews said the association was looking to work closely with Waitrose in a bid to overcome parking problems and any other issues that might arise.