URGENT calls have been made for safety measures to be put in place at an accident blackspot.

Berechurch Road in Colchester is a busy road which is renowned for its sharp bends and narrow sections.

It has been the scene of a number of serious crashes including one in 2003 at the Roman Way junction, where a man died from his injuries.

Following calls from residents to make the road safer Labour ward councillors Dave Harris, Martyn Warns and Chris Pearson carried out their own survey to see the extent of the speeding.

They said they were shocked at the findings and hve now called for action to be taken urgently.

Mr Harris said: “We went out there with a stopwatch and found at least one in ten cars were going over the 30mph speed limit.

“The most dangerous parts are the bends and where the road narrows.”

The councillors then organised a petition, which has already attracted almost100 signatures urging Essex County Council to review the road and come up with a plan to improve road safety and reduce speeding.

Mr Harris said: “As county councillor I have presented the petition to Highways engineers for action.

“The process is now for the county council to do a traffic survey involving electric wires across the highway to record the average speed.”

He added: “I am hopeful to either get a sign that says traffic calming, or a vehicle activated road sign that flashes if you are going too fast.

“This will satisfy worried residents who have road safety concerns.”

Essex County Council said a traffic survey will be carried out in the near future.

A spokesman for Essex Highways said: “We can confirm councillor Harris’ petition has been received by Essex Highways officers.

“A traffic survey has been ordered and once results are known they will be technically validated by engineers.”

The spokesman added: “The information will then be passed to the Local Highway Panel to consider future action, alongside the other schemes they have prioritised.”