A councillor says action desperately needs to be taken to reduce the speed limit on a busy road after a child was hit by a van on their way to school.

The pupil sustained head and arm injuries after he was struck by the vehicle outside Towers School in Ashford earlier this month.

Staff from the Kennington school were managing traffic while ambulance crews took the boy to the William Harvey Hospital for treatment.

Thankfully he has now recovered and is back in the classroom, but ward councillor for Goat Lees, Winston Michael (Ind), believes something needs to be done to Faversham Road as the layout is a “recipe for disaster”.

He said: “I would like to see speed cameras there too because, like it or not, people ignore the speed limit.

“It needs to be reduced so if there is an accident, the end result won’t be a major fatality or injury.

“There should also be double yellow lines from the traffic lights at Trinity Road all the way down to Ulley Road and Grosvenor Road so no vehicles can stop or park there.

“There is a huge amount of support by local residents for having something done after all these years, given the problems we have seen.

“Even if the incident with the pupil didn’t happen, this is something I would have liked to have seen anyway.”

Pupil numbers at Towers have risen to 1,645 in recent years, making it one of the biggest schools in Kent.

“That’s 1,645 students pouring out at once and it does lead to chaos,” Cllr Michael said.

“You can make the case that pupils should know better, but that’s ignoring the fact that this is in the interest of both students and motorists so we can avoid future accidents.”

A new scheme turning 40 roads in Kennington to 20mph has just been introduced - the first of its kind in Ashford.

New signs and road markings were installed last week along with a raised zebra crossing in Bybrook Road in a bid to get drivers to slow down.

Cllr Michael feels extending the scheme to Faversham Road would be beneficial to drivers and pedestrians.

There is a pedestrian crossing just outside the entrance of the school but Cllr Michael says this is not always used, exacerbating the problem.

“Unfortunately that particular road is the main thoroughfare which covers not just cars but lorries,” he added.

“There are no restrictions on parking, vehicles fly down while pupils are crossing and people try to get round vehicles; it’s a recipe for disaster.

“I have sent a note to Cllrs Paul Bartlett and Charlie Simkins at Kent County Council (KCC) and I would like this to be brought up at the joint transport board meeting with ABC and KCC.

“I have had some wonderful feedback on the idea from residents so there is a lot of support for it.”

Cllr Bartlett, KCC member for Ashford Central, said: “I would like to extend the 20mph in Bybrook Road to Faversham Road.

“KCC will take some traffic data after 12 months of operation so we can see if drivers are obtaining the new rules.

“Faversham Road is in Clair Bell’s, Charlie Simkins’s and my KCC division so we will work together to deliver a solution.”

In response to Cllr Michael’s calls, a KCC spokesperson said: “We have recently carried out a speed survey in Faversham Road, Ashford.

“Following analysis of the results officers have confirmed that they do not believe that reducing the speed limit to 20mph would be of any benefit.

“Through our adopted 'Vision Zero' plan, KCC is committed to reducing serious injuries and deaths on our roads.

“While Kent Police is responsible for enforcing 30mph speed limits, KCC will continue to work with the local community.”