Essex Police are lobbying the Government for a change in the law after a crash that killed a teenager in Colchester.

Assistant Chief Constable Sue Harrison has asked for new powers to temporarily suspend a motorist’s licence if officers think they are unsafe to drive.

It comes after the death of Colchester Sixth Form College student Cassie McCord, 16.

She died after Colin Horsfall’s Vauxhall Astra veered off the road and fatally injured her, in Head Street, on Feburary 7.

Following the incident, it emerged Mr Horsfall, 87, from Rowhedge, had been involved in an accident at the Tesco petrol station in High Woods, days earlier, and was set to have his licence revoked.

He was still allowed to get behind the wheel because he had not received the revocation notice from the DVLA.

An Essex Police spokesman said: “Senior officers at Essex Police have raised this issue at a national level to seek a change in the law, to allow police an additional power to temporarily suspend a driving licence, until a medical examination can be undertaken, where drivers are found to be potentially unsafe.

“For example, a driver who fails a police roadside eyesight test would have their licence suspended immediately. This action would provide additional protection to other road users.”

Mr Horsfall was taken to Colchester General Hospital for treatment following the collision, but died at a care home on May 13.