Roads bosses are today being urged to end the "madness" of a 70mph speed limit, which campaigners say has led to five years of carnage at an accident blackspot.

Since 2000, 15 smashes have caused four deaths and numerous injuries on the A27 between the Coach and Horses pub at Durrington and Castle Goring.

But residents fighting for a 40mph limit say these figures pale beside the regular and potentially deadly crashes that do not make it into the official list of accidents.

In the last five weeks alone there have been three crashes near the pub. Villagers say there is a serious incident on the road at least once every eight weeks.

Coach and Horses regulars Sharon Hewer, 38, Clive Hancock, 37, known as Swampy, and Ivor Bingham, 39, were killed days before Christmas when a van struck their stationary Mazda minutes after they had helped landlord Peter Bond lock up for the evening.

Sharon's sister Ann French said: "Because of that crash, five children are without parents.

"There is some kind of collision almost every week. If anything can come from this, it will be that the road is made safer and Sharon, Ivor and Swampy's deaths will not have been in vain."

In January, two drivers were lucky to escape serious injury when their cars collided outside the pub and crashed into flowers and tributes on the grass verge.

Weeks earlier, another driver was taken to hospital after a two-car collision on the same 500m stretch.

Motorists travelling west towards Arundel are told the 40mph limit has changed to 70mph just before the Coach and Horses.

Residents say extending the 40mph zone a further 500m to Castle Goring would be an inexpensive solution and would save lives.

In the long-term, they want lights put up and the road reduced from two lanes to one.

Coach and Horses landlady Nichola Del Nevo, 40, witnessed the crash on December 22.

She and neighbour Lesley Hill have been campaigning to make the road safer after Ms Hill's son Andrew was injured on the same stretch three years ago.

Ms Del Nevo said: "The problem has got worse and will continue to do so.

"The road lends itself to speed and that is the problem. It is disgusting - we are meant to be human beings and care about each other but the people who speed along that road are going to kill someone or be killed themselves."

The Highways Agency said it could not comment on specific accidents but would investigate ways of making the road safer from April.

These could include blocking the junction into the Coach and Horses and widening a bend in the road. A reduction in the speed limit may also be considered.

But residents want immediate action.

Ms Hill, of Arundel Road, Clapham, near Worthing, said: "If there is another fatal accident, maybe someone will make the Highways Agency accountable. If anything happened to me or my children, I would sue them."

Tim De Luca Smith, of Hollyacres, Worthing, said: "By the time anything is actually done it will be 2007. That's totally unacceptable. If the accident rate continues as it is at the moment, there will be another five accidents.

"It is all very well saying they are going to close junctions but how does that benefit people? It's not about making a token gesture, it's about managing the speed and making the road safe."

A Highways Agency spokesman said: "We cannot take action immediately as funding has been allocated to projects. The proposals have been moved forward to the earliest opportunity in light of recent events and will be included in next financial year's funding allocation."

Anyone who wants to donate money to the campaign or get involved should contact Ms Del Nevo on 01903 264665.