CALLS have been made to rush through safety measures outside an Essex primary school to protect the pupils from speeding cars.After more than 10 years of campaigning Baynard County Primary School in Tiptree is looking forward to the "imminent" arrival of traffic calming measures including flashing amber lights.

CALLS have been made to rush through safety measures outside an Essex primary school to protect the pupils from speeding cars.

After more than 10 years of campaigning Baynard County Primary School in Tiptree is looking forward to the "imminent" arrival of traffic calming measures including flashing amber lights.

The school in Townsend Road will soon see the introduction of the new lights and speed-limit signs are set to be introduced by April next year as part of the Safer Journeys to School initiative.

In September, a lollipop man, Stephen Brown, started work helping the children cross the road, but since he started there was an incident in which he was put in danger from a car.

Colchester borough councillor, Margaret Fairley-Crowe said it was vital the improvements were made now because of the dark winter evenings and the dangers posed to the pupils.

The representative for the Tiptree Ward said: "Drivers come flying round the bend towards the schools and they don't keep to 30mph – we badly need the flashing warning lights.

"I have written to the county council but have not had a response. Also we have been promised a footpath but don't know how long it will be."

She added she was considering buying a flashing armband to help protect the school-crossing patrolman from the traffic.

Headteacher of 12 years, Gary Stimson, said: "We have campaigned for some years to get this far and I don't want to go knocking what we have achieved.

"This has been going for years and we have had PTA, local residents campaigning for a long time and we appealed to go on the safer journeys to school programme.

"It is a very busy road and we are constantly educating the children about the dangers.

"We are pleased that we have campaigned and got a result on this and are looking forward to the road calming measures – I am not being flippant but when you have been campaigning for 10 years another couple of months does not seem that long."

Sandra Church, Tiptree parish councillor and school governor who has led the battle for the improvements, said it was "very gratifying" to see the hard work had nearly paid off.

A spokeswoman for Essex County Council which runs the Safer Journeys to School initiative said the there would be flashing amber lights introduced imminently and the other measures would be in place by around April next year.