Safety First?

'Safety' wall built across motorway

Road officials who built a wall across a 70mph motorway at night without warning motorists are being sued by crash victims.

The five feet high wall - which had no lights or signs - had been built to protect road repairers working further down the highway.

But officials are facing an inquiry after dozens of cars slammed into the wall in Xian, Shaanxi province, western China, without realising it was there.

Survivor Zou Tieqin, 42, said: "I had my family in the car and I suddenly saw the wall in my headlights. I braked but it was too late and I went straight through.

"We were saved by our airbags but when we got out of the car we saw lots of other vehicles piling in. Some weren't so lucky.

"The people responsible cannot get away with this and we are demanding compensation," he added.

But far from apologising - workers kept rebuilding the wall every time it was hit - saying they had put lights up but they had been pinched.