IN the wake of last week's accident on Buckingham Hill Road near Stanford-le-Hope, when four vehicles were involved in a collision outside the entrance to Thurrock Council's Linford household recycling site, the authority has introduced a 30mph speed limit.

The road outside the recycling centre is frequently subject to long queues of traffic, particularly at times like last weekend's Easter Bank Holiday when it gets very busy.

The site has frequently been criticised by users for the problems with access and several years ago Thurrock Council agreed plans to improve entry and they were granted planning permission. However, the council has not progressed the scheme.

That prompted criticism that the site was potentially the scene of a major incident. That almost happened last weekend when four vehicles collided, but fortunately there were no significant injuries.

A notice announcing the immediate change to the speed limit is now in place, saying it has been imposed because of "the likelihood of danger to the public or serious damage to the road".

East Tilbury councillor Fraser Massey welcomed the change but said more is needed to happen to make the site safer and he has called on the previous changes to be revisited and implemented. He said: "The speed limit is not a long term solution, but is the quickest change that can be made. Other longer-term improvements should be actioned now.

"Residents have been warning of the danger for some time and the council have not listened. However, the accident has proved to be the catalyst, though it's a shame it took a crash to make things happen."

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