AFTER a tireless 12-year campaign, schoolchildren and politicians celebrated the opening of a new pedestrian crossing by recreating the Beatles’ iconic Abbey Road album cover.

The crossing in Brinkley Grove Road, Colchester, will serve pupils from the Gilberd School.

The campaign, supported by the Gazette, gathered pace after one of the school’s pupils, Sumika Purchase, was hit by a car when crossing the busy road in 2011 and broke her leg.

After the accident a 1,500- name petition calling for a crossing to be built was compiled.

Essex County Council insisted it was not a sufficiently high priority to warrant the cost of building one, but repeated calls for the crossing finally struck a chord.

Colchester's local highways panel, made up of county and borough councillors, finally got the £120,000 crossing agreed last year.

Sumika, who is now in Year Ten, said after the opening: “I am very happy we finally have a crossing after waiting for quite a few years.

“It protects all the other students at the school and surrounding area.”

Gerard Oxford, borough councillor for Highwoods, was among of the many politicians who worked with the school to lobby for the crossing.

He said: “This project has been 12 years in the making, but we couldn’t be more delighted.”

Mr Oxford said Brinkley Grove Road was identified by the county council as being the busiest roads in his ward.

Linda Exley, Gilberd School’s headteacher, said the location of the crossing is opposite where a new entrance will be created at the school, which is due to open shortly.

She said: “Our children need to be safe and we have got major concerns about the road.”

Mrs Exley said a high proportion of pupils walk and cycle to the school and she hoped the crossing would encourage more to do so.