Frustrated villagers are calling for a “dangerous” junction to be improved and have branded it “a matter of life or death”.

The bend joins Horton Road, The Street and Bull Hill, in Horton Kirby, near Dartford, and is a common spot for car crashes and speeding motorists, according to residents.

It has been described as “dangerous” for those driving down Horton Road towards The Street because they say it is not clear the road sharply veers to the right and they say there are conflicting road signs.

Kim Howell, who lives in The Street, said: “There have been so many cars that crash into the salt bin. I see it or I hear it often enough.

“It is a concern to everyone in the village. The speed that people travel around the bend and the fact it is not marked out properly. There has been a big call for action before I even lived here to get the road layout changed.

“It is such a dangerous junction. Whatever can be done will be better than what is there already.”

Horton Kirby and South Darenth Parish Council has also been campaigning for Kent County Council (KCC) to change the priority at the junction so drivers have to give way at the end of Horton Road instead of at Bull Hill.

It also claims the signs on the approach to the bend are wrong as there is both a right bend sign and a side road sign which shows the road continuing straight.

Parish councilor Glyn Hughes, who has been spearheading the campaign for change, said many motorists do not realise there is a bend until it is too late to slow down and this has caused multiple accidents.

He added: “It is so dangerous people will get killed. That sign is wrong. If anybody gets fatally injured there, in my eyes KCC is to blame because that sign is wrong. If there was nothing wrong why is KCC proposing changes.”

KCC highway officers have said that a change in priority would not be possible but they have drawn up ideas to remove the signs, replace them with ones showing both a bend and side road, add in more chevrons, and refresh the road markings.

But Cllr Hughes said they are expecting the parish council to fund the costs of doing so.

"It is their responsibility but they are not prepared to pay for it,” he added. “We are going to struggle to justify it to our constituents as it is not our responsibility to fund.

"It is not the changes we wanted but we need to put something in place as soon as possible to get something done and make it safe, to save lives.

"I do not know how many accidents or fatalities there needs to be to make these changes. We understand their budget problems but for the safety of our residents this should be a priority.”

In a statement the parish council said there was an incident a year ago in March where a car hit pedestrians and one later suffered a heart attack thought to be attributed to the incident.

It added there have been many more incidents throughout the years where vehicles have crashed into the bend.

The statement said: “These accidents have caused Horton Kirby and South Darenth Parish Council to have grave concerns regarding the safety of pedestrians at this junction.

“There is an urgent and ongoing need for KCC highways to make this junction safe, however they appear resolute in taking no action.

“This is a matter of life and death to the residents of Horton Kirby.”

A spokesman for KCC said it has “engaged extensively with the parish council following a request for improvements”.

They added: “While the existing signs provide the correct information for drivers, it is appreciated some could get into difficulty when negotiating this area in adverse weather.

“That is why we have suggested improvements to the signage and road markings to make it clearer for motorists.

“Officers have spoken to the parish council and asked them to find the funding for the improvements to be carried out.

“The council’s financial position means KCC has to make difficult decisions on where to focus its stretched resources using evidence including crash and casualty data.”