A 12 YEAR-old schoolgirl was taken to hospital after a crash involving a car.

The girl, a pupil at the Gilberd School, Colchester, suffered injuries to her mouth after the incident in Brinkley Grove Road around 3.40pm last Tuesday.

The girl was understood to have been walking home from the secondary school when the incident happened.

An Essex Police spokesman said: "We were called to reports of collision involving a car and a 12 year-old girl in Brinkley Grove, Colchester, at around 3.40pm on May 7.

"The girl sustained injuries to her mouth.

"If you have any information about the incident please call us on 101 quoting incident 664 of May 7."

An ambulance, ambulance officer and a rapid response vehicle also attended.

A spokesman said: "A child was taken to Colchester General Hospital for further treatment."

The crash prompted renewed safety measures for the road from councillors.

Gerard Oxford, Highwoods Independent councillor, said the crash happened close to the entrance of the gymnastics club.

He added: "I spoke to the school because I am aware the school is very proactive about road safety.

"They do a two-week course in September when the new intake come and also again with the year 8s in the year above them.

"When I called them they had already set the wheels in motion and they said they did another course right away."

Mr Oxford said he wanted Essex County Council to put a second pedestrian crossing in on the 30mph road but it has so far declined.

He said the road has not yet met its criteria based on traffic volume, speed of vehicles and pedestrian footfall.

Mr Oxford said there is a central reservation close to the road's junction with Mill Road that he urged pupils to use.

But he is hoping to work with neighbouring Mile End councillors to press the county council for the pedestrian crossing.

In 2015 the first pedestrian crossing was installed at the other end of the road, after a 12-year campaign.

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.