CAMPAIGNERS have succeeded in winning a pedestrian crossing for a busy road outside a Colchester school.

Essex County Council has agreed to spend £25,000 putting inacrossingnearthe Colchester Academy’s new main entrance, in Hawthorn Avenue, this spring.

Julie Young, Labour county and borough councillor for the area, said she had first asked for the crossing when the council spent £1.5million expanding the school last year.

She added: “There were quite a lot of safety concerns for the pupils crossing the road there.

“They were having to staff that area quite substantially.

“It has taken a year to bring this about, but we now have got the go-ahead, which is excellent news. We will be looking forward to it opening and making it safer.”

Mrs Young, who is also a governor at the school, said although there were school crossing patrols further down the road, they were mainly for youngsters at Hazelmere Infant and Junior schools.

She said academy pupils tended to cross the road where the zebra crossing would now go.

School principal Barry Hersom said: “We asked the county council to come and have a look at the situation.

“In the past, children have left the site through one of the side roads, but the new building means they are using the main road and children being children, they tend to take the most direct route.

“This was causing us concern, so we really appreciate this.”