A crossroads where an accident claimed the life of a motorcyclist was an accident waiting to happen, say locals.

Police are still investigating Sunday's tragedy, which involved a collision between a car and a Suzuki motorbike at Orton crossroads south of Great Orton village and west of Carlisle.

The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene.

The two other people who were involved in the collision - a man and a woman, both 49 - were treated in hospital for minor injuries after being cut free from their car, a Nissan Juke.

It has now emerged that three years ago, in response to concerns from locals, the road leading to the crossroads junction from Great Orton was fitted with rumble strips.

The strips give drivers an audible warning that they are approaching a potentially hazardous junction. But the strips were covered with tarmac just a year later.

Orton Parish Council and others in Great Orton village have been campaigning for years to have the road made safer.

Their main hope was that the junction involved, which is approached from the west by a sharp bend, could be staggered.

But officials at Cumbria County Council were said to have refused this request because there had not been a sufficient number of serious accidents to justify or new rumble strips.

William Little, chairman of Orton parish council, said he and his colleagues were left exasperated by the failure of Cumbria County Council to improve the crossroads.

"It's been on our agenda at every parish council meeting for the past two years,” he said.

“We even had a meeting - myself, the police road safety officer, highways and our councillor Trevor Allison - about it.

“We wanted them to stagger the road ends slightly but it was going to be expensive. The police suggested we put rumble strips down. That was the next best thing.

“They did put rumble strips down but shortly after that they tarmacked over them. The parish council requested they reinstate them but they said there hadn't been enough accidents to justify it."

Mr Little continued: "Prevention is better than cure.

"We want something to be done. I know they are strapped for money but what price do you put on a life? This has been going on for years. I just don't want it to happen again."

He said there have been lots of accidents, including two previous fatalities, and an accident in which a car door was ripped off. Many less serious accidents go unreported.

Mr Little added: “In cases like this where it's a serious road it should take priority. There have been a lot more accidents there than have actually been reported.

"We weren't really surprised to hear about [Sunday's] incident. It was only a matter of time before someone was hurt. All we want to do is prevent another crash.”

Michelle Dunning, 41, a driving examiner who has lived in Orton village for almost a decade, said: “It's been an accident waiting to happen.

"We've been in the village for nine years now and you can count on one serious accident a year - and there may be a lot more that we don't know about.

"We have a village Facebook page and one of the lads from Orton Rigg, the next village down, posted last night that in his village alone he knows nine people who've had a shunt at that crossroads.”

She said the rumble strips previously installed on the road south from Great Orton had actually been in the wrong place.

Measures should be taken to slow down the traffic on the road that transects that road, she explained.

Mrs Dunning said the sharp bend just west of the crossroads restricted visibility, as did the roadside vegetation.

“When you have to drive out of that junction you hold your breath because the visibility is so poor,” she added.

Both Mr Little and Mrs Dunning said they had no idea whether rumble strips would have had an impact on the accident at the weekend but both were adamant that the crossroads must be improved.

A Cumbria County Council spokesman said: “The cause of this incident remains unknown at this stage. It would be irresponsible to speculate whilst a police investigation is ongoing.

"We will consider carefully the findings from the police investigation.”

Police conducted a detailed investigation at the scene of the accident, which happened at 1.35pm on Sunday, before reopening the road five hours after it was closed.

They want to hear from anyone who witnessed the crash or saw either vehicle before the collision.

If you can help, call police on 101.