URGENT improvements to one of the region's most notorious stretches of road have been called for after it claimed the life of a Suffolk businessman.Christopher Osborne became the latest victim of the A1307 when he was involved in a two-car smash just east of Horseheath, near Haverhill.

URGENT improvements to one of the region's most notorious stretches of road have been called for after it claimed the life of a Suffolk businessman.

Christopher Osborne became the latest victim of the A1307 when he was involved in a two-car smash just east of Horseheath, near Haverhill.

Emergency services were unable to save the 28-year-old, who died at the scene of the accident at around 9.30pm on Sunday.

Last night, Haverhill town councillor Gerry Kiernan said something needed be done to make people aware of the dangers of the six-mile stretch of road between Haverhill and Linton, near Cambridge, which has seen 11 fatalities and more than 28 serious injury collisions in the past five years.

Mr Osborne, of Old Rope Walk in Haverhill, died when his Rover 420 collided with a Vauxhall Nova, driven by a 20-year-old man from Horseheath.

The driver of the Nova was taken to Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge, with minor injuries, while his passenger - a 26-year-old man from Haverhill -escaped without injury.

Mr Kiernan, who also serves Haverhill's north ward for St Edmundsbury Borough Council, said: “Any fatality on our roads is awful and there will be a lot of lives devastated because of Sunday's accident.

“The number of accidents along the A1307 keeps building up and up, and this demands a response.

“Unfortunately I think people get lulled into a false sense of security along that road because it can often seem a very pleasant road to drive along, but there are a lot of junctions and there is obviously a real safety issue there which people need to be aware of.

“To drive at 60mph along that road is still too fast and people need to take more care. I don't think there is one obvious answer to the problem but more action is definitely called for.”

Last night, residents in Old Rope Walk were still trying to come to terms with the death of Mr Osborne, who owned his own window cleaning company.

Investigations are now being carried out by Cambridgeshire police to determine the cause of the accident.

A spokesman said: “We are appealing for any information in relation to this collision.

“Perhaps you saw either vehicle prior to the collision? How were the cars being driven? Any information, no matter how small, could prove invaluable in determining how or why this crash happened.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Road Policing Unit on 01480 456111.