Renfrewshire Council has provided an update on plans to improve the safety of a Howwood junction.

HGVs and other large vehicles often veer onto the wrong side of the road as they navigate the sharp bend at Bowfield Road and Midton Road.

A barrier separating those walking on the pavement from the road – usually children going to school or nearby parks – has been damaged multiple times.

Earlier this year, officers presented two potential options to the community.

The first was a bespoke pedestrian guardrail, which would follow the slope of the hill to provide additional safety to pedestrians, while the second was a standard, stepped guardrail design.

Both involved the widening of the footway around the bend, high kerbs which would deflect vehicle wheels back into the road, the remarking of white lines and an advance warning of the ‘give way’ line ahead.

This week, the local authority confirmed it was asked to consider acquiring land next to the junction to see if “more detailed” changes could be made.

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A council spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We ran a consultation earlier this year where we presented the local community with options to improve safety at this junction and asked for their views.

“We thank everyone who took the time to give their feedback.

“As part of that, we were asked to look into the possibility of acquiring additional land next to the junction and to consider if this would allow us to deliver more detailed improvements.

“Our feasibility study into that has now been completed and we will share the results with local elected members and the local community for discussion.”

Councillor Andy Doig, an independent representative for the village, and residents like Martin Carden have campaigned for action on the spot.

Mr Carden was spurred into action on the issue last summer when his children were involved in a near-miss at the junction, which he said “gave them a huge fright”.