CONCERNED politicians have called for action to improve safety on a "treacherous" moorland road that has claimed a third life in five years.

A 38-year-old local man, who has not been named, died on Friday afternoon on the moorland stretch of Otley Road, High Eldwick, which features a number of dips and blind bends.

His Porsche Boxster collided with a parked lorry and ended up in trees. The man died from serious head injuries a short time later.

An air ambulance, fast response vehicle, road ambulance and a clinical supervisor were among emergency services at the scene,

while fire crews from Shipley and Bingley also attended.

Police, who shut the road for some time from a spot close to Dick Hudson's pub, are appealing for witnesses who may have seen the soft-top car, which had its roof down, being driven along the road from the direction of East Morton towards Eldwick before its collision with the Mercedes Sprinter dropside lorry.

Bingley conservative councillor Mark Shaw said after this latest tragedy, action must be taken to stop more lives being lost.

"I've driven on that road thousands of times before, it's dangerous at the best of times but treacherous in the worst conditions with its blind bends and deep troughs.

"Warning signs are needed as scare tactics to make drivers slow down. Signs that bluntly tell drivers people have been killed on that road. They might have more effect on slowing down drivers than speed limit signs which would be difficult for police to enforce anyway because it's in the middle of nowhere."

Shipley MP Philip Davies said he hoped the Council would look seriously at Cllr Shaw's suggestion and added: "It's tragic when any life is lost but when three lives are lost on one road there clearly is an issue that needs resolving. I'm not a highways expert or engineer but something needs to be done. What Cllr Shaw has suggested does work in other areas so I hope the Council does look at it seriously."

Back in late 2009 there were calls for a 30mph speed restriction after the death of 21-year-old Danielle Heggarty from Ingrow in a head-on collision - she had been driving her silver Vauxhall Corsa.

Her younger sister Charlotte, of Queens Road, Keighley, had later pleaded for a lower than 50 mph speed limit to be imposed after still seeing drivers speeding along.

At that time Bradford Council had said there were no immediate plans to reduce the speed limit but Otley Road was included in a district-wide review of all speed limits and that it had to adopt a common-sense approach to speed limits on rural roads as to what was realistic and enforceable,also requiring full support from the police before any proposed changes to speed limits.

In April this year, 33-year-old Christopher Crowther , of Moor Lane, Queensbury, died after his blue MG ZR car was in collision with a white VW Crafter van beside Graincliffe Reservoir. An inquest into his death opened but is still to be resumed.

Any witnesses to Friday's incident which happened just before 4pm are asked to call the West Yorkshire Police Major Collision and Enquiry Team on 101.