Northumberland County Council

Local government · English unitary authority

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First report 26 Mar 2026•Latest report 26 Mar 2026

Reports, concerns and published responses

Reports over time

Reports naming this recipient by issue year.

* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.

Reports
1

Naming this recipient

Published responses
100%

Found for named reports

Concerns addressed
1

Across all linked responses

Stated actions
5

Described in responses

Concerns and recipient responses

Statements from Northumberland County Council linked to the concerns in each report. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.

  1. Northumberland

    AI-generated summary

    Elizabeth Anne LANG and Katie Alice LANG · Prevention of Future Deaths report

    This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

    Report summary

    Elizabeth Lang was driving a vehicle with her daughter Katie Lang as the front-seat passenger when it lost control on a bend on the A1068 Sheepwash Road and collided with another vehicle. Both sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene. The report raised concerns about low road friction and the absence of advance warning signage for the bend, which may present an ongoing risk to road users unfamiliar with the road layout.

    Read the report on judiciary.uk

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Northumberland County Council; that does not assign responsibility.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Lack of advance warning signage for a severe bend

    Wider context from the report

    “(1) During the course of the inquest I heard Sideway-force Coefficient Investigation Machine testing ('SCRIM' testing) is carried out by the council on an annual basis. Further that the county has responsibility for an extensive road network. SCRIM testing carried out on 18 September 2024 assessed the coefficient of friction as low. I heard that Northumberland County Council has an acceptable level of 0.5. Where the vehicle began to slide the coefficient of friction was 0.22. The deceleration tests identified a coefficient of friction at 0.598g at the initial test site and 0.637g after Bothal Bank. I heard from the Head of Highways at Northumberland County Council that works were undertaken along the A1068 from Sheepwash Bridge to the junction of the A197 as part of the Council's yearly Local Transport Plan. The works consisted of structural repair to the existing carriageway, a surface dressing treatment and new road markings. The nature of this work is seasonal and weather dependent. The works were completed by 3rd July 2025. I heard evidence from three witnesses who are local to the area and have experience of driving along Sheepwash Road. They described the bend where the collision occurred as notorious with experienced drivers routinely reducing speed when navigating the bend. There is no advance warning signage alerting unfamiliar drivers to the severity of the bend. The Forensic Collision Investigator and the Head of Highways agreed advanced warning signage would be helpful. I heard that Traffic sign regulation standards are governed by the Traffic Signs Regulations General Directions 2016. The absence of advance warning signage may present an ongoing risk to road users, particularly those unfamiliar with the road layout. ”
    Open source report

    Source evidence

    How this respondent action was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Review the site and consider options, including advance warning measures, to improve bend visibility and driver awareness.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “• Assessment of mitigation options”

    Source location

    2026-0182 - Response from Northumberland County Council
    Page 2 · response
    Published 7 April 2026

    Open published response

    Source evidence

    How this respondent action was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Prioritise identified road-safety improvements for implementation within Quarter 2 of the 2026–2027 financial year.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “• Timescales”

    Source location

    2026-0182 - Response from Northumberland County Council
    Page 2 · response
    Published 7 April 2026

    Open published response
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Information checked against published PFD reports and official responses · Data reviewed 7 Sep 2026 · About data quality and limitations

Data last updated 7 September 2026