Coroner warns of risk of more deaths on controversial smart motorways

MINISTERS are under mounting pressure to scrap smart motorways as yet another coroner warned of a risk of more deaths on the controversial roads.

Anne Pember, senior coroner for Northamptonshire, has written to road bosses warning that the lack of a hard shoulder means ‘there is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken’.

It comes just days after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that all planned future smart motorways schemes have been cancelled due to drivers losing confidence in the ‘death trap’ roads.