A JUDGE has called for extra safety measures on a Lake District road where a soldier killed his fiancée after losing control of his car in a puddle.

Judge Peter Hughes QC told Carlisle Crown Court the condition of the A591 between Keswick and Grasmere in bad weather contributed to the accident in which 38-year-old mother-of-two Victoria Baines died.

“Anyone who knows this road knows that it becomes an accident black spot in bad weather,” the judge said.

Drivers were tempted to drive too fast coming off a dual carriageway, not aware there was often standing water near the summit of Dunmail Raise.

“I urge all those concerned with road safety on that stretch of road to consider at least putting in place signs to warn drivers to limit their speed in adverse conditions or even to reduce the speed limit on that road generally,” Judge Hughes said.

The comments came after he sentenced Sean Lee Arun-dale, 35, a staff sergeant in the Royal Engineers, to do 200 hours unpaid com-munity work when he pleaded guilty to causing Ms Baines’ death by careless driving.

Arundale, of Fairfield Road, Stockton-on-Tees, was also banned from driving for two years.

Jeremy Grout-Smith, pros-ecuting told the court Arundale lost control of his car when it hit a large puddle after ‘appalling weather’ on the afternoon of November 11 last year.

His car careered across the road into the path of a car going in the opposite direction – killing his pas-senger and partner of 12 years Ms Baines.

Mr Grout-Smith said that Arundale told police after the crash: “I was driving too fast for the conditions. I should have known better.”

Peter Cadwallader, miti-gating, said Arundale was ‘distraught’ at being resp-onsible for the death of his partner but should be allowed to continue the ‘outstanding’ military career which had taken him on active service to Bosnia, Macedonia, Iraq and Afghan-istan.

“It is something the court is entitled to take into account. He provides a very valuable service to the defence of this country,” he said.

Judge Hughes agreed and said having to do community service would be a more appropriate punishment than the relatively short prison sentence that guide-lines allowed.

He told Arundale: “The sooner you are able to repay your debt to society, in another way, through your service, the better for all.”