A BARRHEAD councillor has slammed a dangerous road after it claimed the life of a former Barrhead policeman last week.

Cllr Danny Devlin has been campaigning for safety measures to be introduced at Lochlibo Road for the last 15 years.

Two weeks ago former Barrhead sergeant and dad-of-three John Woods was killed when he was involved in a head-on collision with an articulated lorry beyond Lugton.

The 42-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene after his Kia was destroyed in the crash.

It is less than two years since retired Barrhead teacher Vandrew Canavan lost her life after her car left the road in 2013.

Now the road, which leads to Irvine and is known as the ‘low road’ locally, has gained a reputation as an accident blackspot with the town’s residents.

And Cllr Devlin (pictured below) believes not only should more safety measures be introduced, but drivers should be better educated to the risks.

He said: “This road has been an issue for a very long time and I have been campaigning for the best part of 15 years for better safety measures to be introduced.

“Too many lives have been lost on this road and drivers are continually travelling too fast on a road which is full of blind corners, crests and hedges.

“Especially coming into Barrhead, I have seen cars in gardens after the have failed to slow enough for the road coming into Barrhead.” Some measures have been introduced to encourage drivers to slow their speed coming in to the town, including an electronic speed sign and rumble strips.

A staged reduction in the speed limit has also been introduced to encourage drivers to slow down sooner and in a more progressive manner.

However, Cllr Devlin is appealing to road users to be more careful as they venture further away from town, and drive responsibly.

He said: “Obviously there is only so much you can do to try and control the speed of motorists, ultimately the control is in their hands, and I would urge drivers to take great care at all times, especially on this road.” The circumstances of the crash which claimed the life of Inspector Woods is still unclear, but the outpouring of grief following his death his been widespread.

A minutes silence was held by the Braehead Clan ice hockey team in Inspector Woods’ memory before their game with Edinburgh Capitals on Saturday last week.

Barrhead Police declined to comment on his death, but offered their condolences to his family.

However, Inspector Alan Dickson, deputy chief inspector, said: “My advice to motorists using this road would be the same as any other country road.

“Drive according to the conditions, drive responsibly, and drive safely.” In October 2011, four people were taken to hospital after a four-car smash on the same stretch of road, and in 2012 a Ford driven by a woman with a child passenger was written off in an accident that saw both the woman and the child taken to hospital.

The recorded string of accidents go back to 1995, where a collision between car and a van saw two people taken to hospital but later die of their injuries.

The funeral of Inspector Woods will take place today (Wednesday) at Menzie’s Hotel in Irvine at 2.15pm, followed by Holmsford Bridge Crematorium in Dreghorn.