CALLS for a reduction in the speed limit at Caen Hill, Devizes, have been made as a 30-year-old woman remains in hospital with serious head injuries after an accident closed the road for several hours last Friday.

The woman, believed to be from the Devizes area, was airlifted to Southmead Hospital, Bristol, after receiving life-saving treatment at the side of the road.

A specialist trauma medic who was passing the accident scene stopped to give help and was joined by a team from a fast response ambulance car from Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

The Great Western Air Ambulance landed in a nearby field and took the woman, who has not been named by the emergency services, to hospital. Her condition was said to be improving on Wednesday.

Emergency services were called to the Poulshot junction on Caen Hill just before 2.15pm after the woman's silver Citroen Xsara was in collision with a grey Land Rover Discovery.

The man driving the Land Rover, which had been travelling from Devizes towards Seend on the A361, was shocked but otherwise unharmed. The collision happened as the woman pulled out from the Poulshot junction.

Devizes retained fire commander Pip Flowers said: "When we arrived the lady was already being treated at the side of the road. A decision had been made to get her out as quickly as possible because of the severity of her injuries.

"Our role was to clear the debris and to be on hand to assist when the air ambulance landed."

The crash, which came just days after a less serious crash on the same stretch of road, has prompted calls for changes to the speed limit from Rowde Parish Council.

Chairman Steve Mundy said: "We have been asking the highways department to look at this road for some time. I will now be writing again to Philip Whitehead from Wiltshire Council to ask him to look at it again and to maybe change his view on the speed limit."

Mr Mundy said that the current speed limit of 60mph going into 70mph on the dual carriageway section was too high and dangerous for both motorists and pedestrians.

Caen Hill has several junctions leading to Potterne, Poulshot and Rowde within a short section of road and Mr Mundy said that he would like to see the limit reduced to 50mph or even 40mph.

He also wants a double white line to be introduced to stop overtaking on part of the road.

But this week highways boss Mr Whitehead said he did not think lowering the speed limit would make the road safer and would be difficult to enforce.

He said: "Once we have a report on the accident we will look at the safety implications but it has been shown that when an accident happens it is usually 90 per cent driver error and nothing to do with the road. This road has very good visibility."