COUNCIL bosses ‘knew drivers might speed’ after a dangerous road was resurfaced but failed to act, a resident claims.

Berechurch resident Mick Spindler has been campaigning for speed restrictions in Berechurch Road since February.

The road is notorious for crashes, some fatal, including an incident on Thursday night.

Mick said: “A couple of cars were involved and one shunted into the fence near Queen Mary Avenue.

“Back in February I collected 240 signatures for a petition calling for road safety measures, such as a Vehicle Activated Sign.

“I sent this petition to Essex County Council some weeks ago. It is disappointing this has all taken so long.”

Mick said Essex County Council’s response included a line which said when Berechurch Road was improved it was known speeds may increase.

He said: “Despite being fully aware of the dangers the council fails to put in urgent safety measures.

“The council has done a good job with the resurfacing but people speed along there.”

The ambulance service was called at 7.25pm on Thursday to a crash. An ambulance spokesman said a man was taken to Colchester Hospital for further treatment.

The county council said two automatic traffic counts will be carried out this week.

A spokesperson for Essex Highways said: “One section of Berechurch Road was resurfaced in 2015-16 with a longer section resurfaced during August 2018.

“The Colchester Local Highway Panel has commission speed surveys as a first step towards any safety measures. We have now had recommendations as to the areas where alleged speeding has been seen.

“There is generally a very slight increase in some vehicle speeds on any road when it is resurfaced, drivers naturally relish the smoother and quieter ride.

“However, Essex County maintains 5,000 miles of roads and it would be unworkable to automatically introduce speed-reduction measures when each road is resurfaced.”