FAMILY and friends of teenagers Gemma Biggin and Stephen Abbott are crusading for the notorious canal road where they died to be made safer.

They are backing a petition that was started by accident survivors Jake Edwards and Anthony Bond, which calls for a crash barrier to be erected.

Driver Stephen, of Mill Farm Close, Orford, and front seat passenger Gemma, of Georges Crescent, Grappenhall, died when their car plunged into the Bridgewater canal at Stockton Lane, Grappenhall.

Anthony, who along with Jake escaped from the canal through the car's back windscreen, said: "The petition was started on Tuesday, November 30, and I already have more than 500 signatures, with many more still to be collected."

The petition has been left in businesses all over Grappenhall and Stockton Heath.

"I would urge everyone to please sign it so that we may prevent a reoccurrence of this tragic event," said Anthony, of Marlfield Road, Grappenhall.

Mike Biggin, Gemma's dad, who is also a parish councillor in Grappenhall and Thelwall, said: "I am going to make it my life's work to make sure that a barrier is put up at that particular spot. It's outrageous."

Stephen's mum, Teresa Abbott is also backing the petition and said that she and her family were "sickened" when they saw the bend for themselves.

"Something like that needs to be prevented from happening again. The whole town is devastated," she added.

David Knight, the duty manager of The Late Shop, on Knutsford Road, Grappenhall, said: "Everybody is behind it and agrees we should do something."

Last week Sgt Mike Jones, of Warrington's Traffic Policing Unit, who is investigating the accident on behalf of the Coroner, confirmed that the road's previous history of accidents would be part of the inquiry.

However, a spokesman for Warrington Borough Council said that the Land Registry had confirmed that the ground is unregistered.

In the meantime the borough council will be trying to find out who owns the land, the spokesman added.

l The funeral of Stephen Abbott will take place at 11.30am, tomorrow, Friday, at St Bridget's Church, in Enfield Park Road, Cinnamon Brow. The family has requested donations, rather than flowers, with cheques made payable to the Intensive Care Unit at Warrington Hospital, on Lovely Lane, WA5 1QG or the Merseyside Regional Ambulance Service, at NHS Trust, Elm House, Belmont Grove, Anfield, Liverpool, L6 4EG.

Please send a covering letter stating why you are making the donation and to ask for your donation to be used in Warrington.

The funeral of Gemma Biggin took place at All Saints Church in Thelwall on Monday.