Residents were today celebrating the completion of new safety measures at an accident blackspot almost two years after they launched their campaign for improvements.

A scheme costing about £20,000 to install a new pedestrian crossing and state-of-the-art lighting near the junction of Old Road and Wash Lane in Clacton has been completed.

Pensioners Cicely and Des Lawrence organised a petition in 2001 after their garden wall was knocked down.

They ended up collecting almost 700 signatures before presenting it to Essex county and Tendring councillor Roy Smith who took the issue up.

The couple discovered that between 1996 and 2001 there had been three accidents at the junction which resulted in serious injuries and two others where slight injuries were recorded.

Mrs Lawrence said everyone involved in the campaign was delighted the safety measures had now been installed.

"Our first choice would have been for traffic lights, but we are grateful for the work which has been done and appreciate the effort which has been put in to this," she said.

Mr Smith thanked the council officers for the efforts they had put in to make sure the scheme went ahead.

"It is something which was needed and will hopefully save lives and reduce accidents at that site," he added.

Published Friday, February 7, 2003

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