Silver End district councillor James Abbott this week spoke of the 'concern and distress' felt in the village after an eight-year-old boy was seriously injured in a road accident on Boars Tye Road on Sunday.

The accident comes just four months after Philip Tilbury, aged nine, of Cressing, lost his life after being involved in an accident on the same stretch of road.

This week Jarrod Forde, of Epping Way, Witham, was in Broomfield Hospital where his condition was described as "improving" on Wednesday.

The accident happened at 1.40pm on Boars Tye Road when a Ford Escort travelling towards Braintree was involved in a collision with a Vauxhall Frontera towing a horsebox in which Jarrod was travelling.

No one else was injured in the collision.

"The atmosphere in Silver End is very bleak this week," said Cllr Abbott. "I have been speaking to local people and they are concerned, distressed and upset. This is the second serious accident involving a child in less than four months.

Mr Abbott said that although the cause of Sunday's collision has not yet been established, he would continue to campaign at district and county level for traffic calming measures on roads through the village.

Witnesses to the accident are asked to call Bocking traffic police on 01376 330722.

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