The tragic deaths of a mother and her pregnant daughter have prompted a senior coroner to highlight road safety concerns with the government. 

Marion Bunyan, and her daughter Jennifer, who was around 30 weeks pregnant, drowned when their car left a rural Fenland road and entered a waterway.  

They were from Little Paxton and went into the water in June 2020 at Crease Drain, next to the C117, Puddock Road, Warboys. 

Among the concerns of Cambridgeshire’s senior coroner include the road’s speed limit, its condition and whether GPS systems could warn drivers travelling in high-risk accident areas.  

David Heming’s suggestions have now been published in a Prevention of Future Deaths Report that will be sent to Transport Secretary Louise Haigh and Stephen Moir, the Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire County Council.   

To the council, Mr Heming says there was an “uneven road surface” and that locals knew “the designated [60 mph] speed limit was dangerous”. 

He writes: “The need for a reduction in the limit as a safety measure does not appear to have been raised during inspections/debriefs following a series of fatalities that have led to a number of drowning incidents along this section of road.  

“It raises a concern that the speed limit should be reduced significantly as a risk reduction measure...”  

Mr Heming added he is also concerned “inspections of the road have not been sufficiently rigorous” and the road’s condition could contribute to a driver losing control.  

Meanwhile, he has also told the Transport Secretary funding pressures "delayed prompt action” at high-risk accident sites and suggests a central government fund could be more efficient to get safety works completed. 

He also suggests liaising with tech companies to get high-risk locations flagged on GPS systems for drivers.   

Mr Heming’s report was published on July 26.  

Copies will also be sent to the Fenland Road Safety Campaign (Charlotte’s Way), BRAKE and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.