THE mother of a schoolboy, who was knocked down on a busy road as he left school, is calling for action to make the street safer for pedestrians.

Richard Chappell, 14, from Millfields, Aycliffe Village, was in collision with a van as he crossed the road outside Woodham Community College in Central Avenue, Newton Aycliffe, on Tuesday afternoon.

He is recovering in Darlington Memorial Hospital, with a fracture behind his left ear and damage to his right kidney, as well as cuts and bruises.

His mother, Karen Chappell, said Central Avenue was a busy road, in an area where there were three schools, but there was no help for children to cross safely.

"There is absolutely nothing to help children cross safely, no island, no lollipop lady or zebra crossing, or anything to even slow the traffic. Something needs to be done to make it so children can cross safely.

"Richard can't remember anything about the accident. He is quite traumatised at the moment. The hospital said he has been incredibly lucky, he was very nearly killed," she said.

Headteacher at Woodham Community College, Steve Harness, is backing her call.

He said that although motorists drove carefully along the road and there had not been an accident there for a long time, with 1,300 pupils all leaving the school at the same time there had been numerous near misses.

He said: "I am concerned about this area, it needs to be reviewed. I think there does need to be a crossing point."

A spokesman for Durham County Council said that after any accident the authority's highways department looks at the circumstances in detail.

He said: "Even where there are pedestrian crossings and crossing patrol attendants you still get accidents. It's not always the built environment that is at fault, and it isn't always amendments that can create an improvement in terms of road safety. We have to look at all the circumstances to see if anything is lacking and what is needed.