A bid to slash accident levels outside schools by reducing the speed limit to 20mph is being spearheaded by a Castle Point councillor.

Bill Dick, Conservative councillor for Thundersley, wants the limit lowered from 30mph to protect children and parents as well as lollipop men and women.

He raised the issue at a full Essex County Council meeting, and highways committee chairman Ray Howard, from Canvey, agreed it needed to be investigated.

Councillor Dick claimed to have the support of other members for the plan - which he believed would be a cheap and effective way of improving safety around schools.

He said: "I feel very strongly about 20mph speed limits. The crossing patrol people always feel they are rather exposed on quite a lot of our roads.

"If you can bring the speeds down, the braking distances will come down quite a bit too."

Castle Point Council discussed a similar proposal last month. It wants to cut the limit to 20mph around Church Road and Bilton Road in Hadleigh following protests from residents.

The authority's highways and road safety committee is currently in talks about the plan - which could be extended into roads in Southend.

Councillor Dick's suggestion will now be put to the county highways committee.

Traffic police said they would generally support any move which makes roads safer outside schools.

Brian Ladd, senior traffic management officer, said: "However, people need to recognise that despite the feeling that there is a traffic problem outside schools, accident records do not support this.

"One reason may be that because there is so much parking by parents outside schools, it has a safety effect in that traffic has to slow down to get past illegally parked cars."

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