NEW road safety measures have been installed on a busy A road just weeks after a child was knocked over by a car.

Durham County Council have installed double yellow lines on the A688 at St Helen Auckland, near Bishop Auckland following growing concerns over the route.

The 60mph road is used by many as major access to the dales and runs alongside the Bishop Auckland Retail Park and Bishop Auckland Football Club’s Heritage Park stadium.

Safety concerns were sparked again last month when a 12-year-old boy was clipped by a car while attending a fun fair held in stadium’s carpark.

It is understood the youngster was taken by ambulance to The James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, where he had an operation on a broken ankle.

A spokesman for Durham County Council confirmed the road markings were installed last week after a consultation with the football club, in April.

And football club director, Terry Jackson, praised the council for their efficiency in the project after first raising concerns in August 2016.

Mr Jackson said: “I cannot praise Durham County Council enough. We were concerned because since our establishment seven years ago, the traffic outside the ground has gone up five-fold.

“It’s almost impossible to turn right [out of the grounds] on some occasions and we know there’s been a number of cars parked on the verge which makes it incredibly dangerous for our ball boys.”

He added: “We are a lot happier; we feel a lot safer especially for pedestrians.”

Durham County Councillor for West Auckland, Rob Yorke, said he was also pleased with the news.

He said: “I do get a quite a few calls from residents about cars parked on the grass verge over a number of months.”

He added: “It’s a busy retail shopping park and we have had more planning applications in in recent months, so we know it’s a very popular area and going to become even more popular over the coming months and years.”

Dave Wafer, strategic traffic manager at Durham County Council, said: “The yellow lines were installed following a request from the football club and were part of a planned programme of work, initially consulted on in April this year.”