A campaigner says two accidents in 24 hours at Leven Bank highlight the road dangers explained to a planning inspector just days earlier.
Yvonne Wallace was one of several residents who gave evidence to the Yarm public inquiry heard by a government-appointed inspector in the last fortnight.
The inspector, Geoff Underwood, visited the site on Friday after concluding the seven-day inquiry, which concerned an appeal by Taylor Wimpey against Stockton Council’s refusal of its £133m outline plan for up to 600 homes on land east of Holdenfields Farm, Green Lane. Taylor Wimpey’s appeal against the council’s refusal
Just three days later Low Leven, one of the areas he surveyed, saw two crashes in a matter of hours.
Damage to the bridge at Low Leven after an early morning crash on Monday, September 28, 2026. Picture: Yvonne Wallace.
First, a silver Toyota Yaris collided with the bridge near Low Lane in the early hours of Monday morning.
Pictures showed damage to the bridge caused in the collision and Cleveland Police confirmed the driver fled the scene.
Then 999 crews were called to the road again following a crash on the A1044 involving a grey Hyundai Kona, a white Mazda Takuya and a red Land Rover Freelander at around 2.30pm, leaving Leven Bank Road blocked. The road has since reopened with temporary traffic lights.
Yarm Town Councillor Yvonne Wallace, organiser of a petition against housing developments in Yarm, on Yarm High Street. Picture: LDRS.
Mrs Wallace, a member of Yarm Town Council, and other residents spoke at the planning inquiry of their worries about worsening the “absolute nightmare” of road congestion which had already created “no-go areas” leaving traffic at a standstill, as well as speeding, accidents, near misses, describing Leven Bank as a “known accident black spot” and raising risk to a grade II listed medieval bridge not built for heavy traffic.
The first accident yesterday involved a collision with the bridge, knocking stones from the structure.
She said today: “I think the points we made at the inquiry are very relevant, when talking about any new development. It already can be a dangerous bank and there’s been accidents like this before.
“This was all discussed at the inquiry, and here we are less than three days later and two accidents within 24 hours. A car hit the bridge and there’s significant damage to that historic bridge, and a serious car accident.
“There’s now traffic lights on there, which happens most of the time if there’s an accident. That causes its own set of problems.
“I’ve gone that way this morning and I was stuck, 22 minutes in traffic to get that way. It was queued up both ways.
Damage to the bridge at Low Leven after an early morning crash on Monday, September 28, 2026. Picture: Yvonne Wallace.
“I know the inspector did walk on Leven Bank. I thought he was very thorough with what he did. He walked to all the areas that had been mentioned and he was taking notes.
“He had everything with him, all the maps, and stopped at key intervals and where the proposed new junctions were going to be. It brought tears to my eyes seeing it all, the sheer amount of land that would be taken up and never returned to farmland is vast.
“There’s going to be so much more traffic using that bank. People living on that development would be coming out and either turn left to a very, very busy Green Lane or turn right to go down Leven Bank. It’s just very worrying.”
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A spokesperson for Cleveland Police said yesterday (Monday, September 28): “Police are dealing with a second collision on Leven Bank on Low Lane in High Leven, involving three vehicles at 2:30pm this afternoon.
"This follows an incident in the early hours of this morning when a silver Toyota Yaris collided with the bridge causing damage, before the driver fled the scene.
“This afternoon’s incident involved a grey Hyundai Kona, a white Mazda Takuya and a red Land Rover Freelander. One person has minor injuries to the face.”