A MUM is begging residents to slow down on the busy rural road between Halstead and Sible Hedingham after a pre-school opened there.

Acre Wood pre-school has moved from Cut Hedge Park in Gosfield to Brickwall Farm, on a stretch of Queen Street already considered an accident blackspot.

Gemma Hall, whose daughter Loralie attends Acre Wood, is calling on motorists to take extra care as cars leaving the farm are more likely to be carrying young children.

She said: “My daughter started there on Monday, and my husband immediately raised concerns about me pulling in and out of there.

“We actually were very close to choosing a different pre-school purely because we were concerned about this road, but it is the best pre-school in the area.

"I do dread coming out of there though; my daughter only goes in two times a week at the moment, but I feel for the parents doing it five days a week, twice a day.

“Cars do fly down there, there are no two ways about it, it is already an accident black spot and I fear there will be more accidents.

“There have been so many accidents in Hedingham, I just want people to be aware the school is there, and young children will be in the cars coming in and out.”

Mrs Hall said many of the people she had spoken to had not even realised the farm entrance was there.

She said: “There is going to be a huge increase in people using this entrance now, and if cars don’t slow down there will be an accident.

“Ideally, if we could get some kind of school sign, letting people know that it is young children, then hopefully some drivers would take note.

“Cars do not slow down as they come around the bend, lots of lorries use the road as well.”