By Jenni DixonRESIDENTS and councillors have demanded improvements to the A12 after two people were killed in an horrific road accident.A man and a woman lost their lives and two children were seriously injured when their silver Honda CRV was involved in a collision with a lorry at the A144 junction at Darsham at about 5.

By Jenni Dixon

RESIDENTS and councillors have demanded improvements to the A12 after two people were killed in an horrific road accident.

A man and a woman lost their lives and two children were seriously injured when their silver Honda CRV was involved in a collision with a lorry at the A144 junction at Darsham at about 5.15pm on Sunday.

Suffolk police named last night the woman driver of the Honda as Luc Moui Hoang, 32, from Barking, near Needham Market.

Her family were too upset to talk about her death last night and officers were still trying to trace relatives of the man who also died.

The two children, a two-year-old girl and a boy aged three, were still being treated in Ipswich Hospital, where they were described as in a “stable” condition.

A Suffolk police spokeswoman said the Honda had been travelling on the A144 and had been trying to turn right towards Ipswich, while the lorry had been heading south on the A12 when the collision happened.

A right-turn lane for traffic turning off the A12 southbound was installed by Suffolk County Council in March and a slip-road leading onto the A144 from the A12 northbound was cut out in an effort to make the notorious T-junction safer.

But residents and councillors have expressed fears the changes may have made the junction more dangerous.

Ron Reeve, chairman of Darsham Parish Council, said: “We expressed the view to Suffolk County Council over a year ago that we did not want the slip-road to go.

“We thought that if the slip-road was reduced in size, it would solve the problem completely. I am quite surprised there hasn't been a serious accident before - it's been waiting to happen.”

Stephen Sword, a lorry driver, heard the crash from his home on Hinton Road, just north of the junction.

He said: “Taking out the slip-road has made the junction very tight. Personally, I think they should have put in a roundabout, which would have kept the traffic flowing.”

Bill Pagan, chairman of Halesworth Town Council, used the A12 most mornings, but said he avoided the A144 junction as he felt it was too dangerous.

“This is an awful tragedy and our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time,” he added. “But how they can make it safer, I do not know. The A12 is so busy and people are always looking to find a gap.”

Peter Monk, the Suffolk County Council portfolio holder for road safety, said no judgment could be made on the cause of the accident, which would be fully investigated.

“I think the slip-road was removed for a good reason and we don't know if it was a contributing factor. If it is not working successfully, then it will have to be changed,” he added.

Anyone with information about the accident should contact Pc Ian Fordham, of Suffolk police, on 01986 835350.

jenni.dixon@eadt.co.uk