The opening hasn’t gone smoothly (Picture: SWNS)

A brand new roundabout has had an inauspicious opening, with ten cars crashing in the first 48 hours.

Three of the vehicles were abandoned on Saturday after drivers were confused due to ‘no lighting and no signage’ and drove straight over it, getting stuck in the grass and mud.

It was installed as part of a new housing development with hundreds of homes, but has now got local residents angry as they didn’t realise it was there.

A maroon Ford Focus, a blue Peugeot 106, a dark blue Ford Fiesta and a Land Rover all failed to realise the new roundabout had been set up on the A516 in Mickleover, Derby.


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Skid marks on the roundabout where people crashed (Picture: SWNS)

Motorists have now called for the council to put new rumble strips on the island, which opened on Friday.



David Wilson, 46, crashed at the roundabout, and watched a Land Rover drive straight over the island while he waited to be rescued.

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He said: ‘It was around 4am and I was taking my cousin to Manchester airport for her flight home to Canada.

‘I am not familiar with the area but there was no lighting and no signage and I just drove straight into the roundabout and bumbled over it until we came to a stop.

‘It is a bad one, as you simply don’t know it is there.’

Motorists said they didn’t know it was there (Picture: SWNS)

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Police were called to the scene after the three cars were seen abandoned there.

A spokesman for Derbyshire police said: ‘We have received a number of reports of cars being left abandoned on the roundabout at Hospital Lane in Mickleover.

‘There appears to be damage done to the blue Peugeot 106 and one of the chevrons on the roundabout.’

A Derbyshire County Council spokesman said: ‘The new roundabout is being built by Barratt Homes as part of their adjoining development.

‘The developer’s designs, including signage, lighting and road markings have all been subject to scrutiny by our engineers as well as an independent Road Safety Audit.

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‘Further audits will be carried out now that the works are fully open to traffic and any necessary changes to the design carried out.

‘We are already working with the developer to ensure that appropriate temporary signage remains in place until the roundabout scheme is fully complete and making sure that the permanent signs and road markings are in place.

‘It is difficult to comment on the reasons why these incidents have happened without knowing the full circumstances but they will be investigated as a matter of urgency.’