A MUM is urging the council to take residents’ concerns about a dangerous road seriously following a crash involving a bus and two cars.

Kazia Smale lives in Head Street, Halstead, which has been a subject of discussion among Braintree councillors for some time.

Last week, she witnessed a devastating smash during which a black Ford C-Max was forced into the side of a Rivers bus, following a crash with a white Ford Focus.

As a result of the collision on the road’s mini roundabout, which happened at about 8.35am last Thursday, the streets surrounding St Andrew’s Church came to a chaotic standstill during rush hour and a three-year-old boy, who was a passenger in the C-Max, treated at the scene for minor injuries.

Kazia, 32, said: “I’ve been here for a year and still nothing has been done and I don’t think the council will take it seriously until someone is killed.

“I have to walk up and down Head Street every day to do the school run and there just isn’t enough room.

“One day I was walking home with my four-year-old daughter Enola and an impatient lorry driver actually drove on to the kerb and we had to jump into a driveway to avoid being hit.”

Head Street has been plagued with a history of dangerous driving, near-misses and crashes.

The lack of accommodating space for buses and lorries means drivers struggle to manoeuvre around the roundabout and often have to mount the public pavements to pass through.

The church’s outer wall has been rebuilt following several collisions. A spokesman for Essex Highways said: “The Braintree Local Highway Panel is very aware of the situation.

“Unfortunately a bollard cannot be put on the pavement, since it is too narrow.

“While we don’t know the causes of the recent collision, Essex County Council has secured funding for a £7.3 million investment in the A131/A130 mainly for roundabouts and bus lanes to improve both traffic flow and road safety.

“The work is being phased over three years.”

But last month it was announced the spending was put on hold.

Around £3.6million of the funding was to be spent on the Braintree side of the A131, which covers Head Street, however the county council had to put spending on pause due to concerns it would not be able to fund its share of the costs.