They also heard a "wide ranging and in-depth investigation" was being carried out to see what could be done.

Chatteris town councillor Chris Howes and Ramsey town councillor Ray Powell handed over a petition of almost 2,000 signatures, calling for action to make the road safer after five deaths in the area in the last few weeks.

They also handed in material showing support from parish councillors.

Cabinet member for environment and community services John Reynolds thanked them for bringing the concerns forward, adding the council was equally concerned by the accident record along the road and had already started a review of safety options.

The challenge is finding a way to anchor physical measures such as barriers in the unstable river bank so they could actually stop vehicles from entering the water there, rather than breaking away from the soil, he said.

The council was also looking at ideas brought forward by the public and the possible use of new technology.

Although he could not comment on the recent tragedies, because of on-going police investigations, he felt in the past the majority of crashes were down to motorists travelling at inappropriate speed or overtaking on what was "several miles of straight road with a slight bend".

He said motorists must play their part and drive sensibly on the road.

"Improving safety is not just a challenge on this road but across the county, including the 47 miles of roads that run along Fenland drains," said Mr Reynolds, adding that just because the county had looked at the issue in the past it did not mean there was not an answer now.