PICTURE PAST: January 31, 1969 – passengers injured as bus careers off road

A bus careered off the road into a ditch and left 12 people in need of some medical attention. The story appeared in the Weston Mercury and Somerset Herald 50 years ago.

A scheme was afoot to extend the use of Weston’s seaside pavilion.

Plans to double the size of the grill room at the Winter Gardens Pavilion and to extend the balcony in the ballroom were put forward.

It was hoped it would provide extra seating and cost approximately £6,800 – around £120,000 in today’s money.

The increased grill room space would allow for more meals to be served and create space for small parties.

The balcony would be extended by about 9 feet and continue in a curve around the ballroom.

– The famous deckchairs which lined Weston’s beach were ‘no longer the resort’s golden fund’.

Many of the deckchairs which were owned by the Weston Corporation were 15 years old but to replace them with new ones would have cost around £15,000 – around £265,000 in today’s money.

Weston Borough Council’s catering committee was told the demand for deckchairs had dropped, with more and more sunbathers deciding to bring their own chairs, which were lighter to carry.

– Plans to build an amusement arcade in Regent Street were said to be ‘too near the shopping area’.

The application was to build the arcade in a showroom opposite St James Street.

The council’s development committee heard it was too close to the shopping district and the high street.

– Twelve people were taken to hospital after a crash in St Georges.

A double-decker bus came off the road and down a grass verge as it was travelling between Bristol and Weston.

Only one of the passengers, a 70-year-old woman, was badly injured after the crash, being left with a back injury and in shock but was said to be ‘comfortable’ while being treated for her injuries in hospital.

The road was closed while services attended the scene.

Traffic was diverted down a side road and rejoined the main carriageway at the Woolpack Inn.

– Traders in Highbridge were calling for a bypass before the construction of the M5.

Concern was expressed at a Burnham Urban District Council meeting that the spine road around Highbridge should be built at the same time, or before the motorway reaches Edithmead.

The Highbridge and District Chamber of Trade urged the council to press the Ministry Of Transport to complete the road.