Concern is growing over the safety of a road which residents say is used as a "racetrack".

Drivers are being urged to slow down in Gravel Hill Way, Dovercourt, by residents living in the town who fear somone will be seriously hurt unless something is done.

Joan Goss, 76, who lives in the road, said: "They come down here too fast, especially on their motorbikes. Some drivers are careful but they do come down here far too fast."

Pelham Kelly, of Coke Street, Harwich, visits his mother-in-law in Gravel Hill Way. He said he too was concerned about the safety of the road.

"Cars are always going too fast down that road. It's an accident waiting to happen."

The 43-year-old's fears grew when he helped a 12-year-old boy who had been involved in a collision with a car.

Joshua Farrands, of Clayton Road, suffered bruising to his back and his kidney in the incident on Sunday.

His dad, Jamie Farrands, 43, said drivers use the residential road - where lots of elderly people live - as a racetrack.

"I'm concerned for other people as much as my own boy. It's a road where speeding is a real issue, and it shouldn't be tolerated."

A spokesman for Harwich police said: "We can confirm that there was a collision between a car and a young boy.

"The driver did stop and ask if the boy was okay, and the boy said he was."