Neighbours are calling for action at a busy zebra crossing after a fourth person was struck down in less than a year.

A woman was airlifted to a hospital with serious injuries after being hit by a van in Ash Road, near the junction with Station Road, in Longfield.

People living nearby have described it as "the most dangerous crossing in Kent" and want changes to be made.

Simon Palmer, of Oakwood Rise, was struck down on the crossing in December.

Mr Palmer stepped out and was narrowly missed by one car when another ploughed into the back of him and dragged him along the road.

He said: "I went up onto the bonnet but I just about saw him coming and managed to move slightly to the side.

"My elbow hit the ground and luckily I escaped with just some bruising and scrapes.

Two weeks later Mr Palmer went to visit his elderly neighbour, Peter Foster and discovered he too had experienced a near miss on the crossing.

Mr Foster, who is in his 80s, could hardly walk after he tore his hamstring getting out of the way of a car which failed to stop at the crossing.

Just a week later a woman who also lives in the Oakwood Rise was struck down too.

Mr Palmer said: "People shoot out either road without looking at the zebra crossing. I must have seen four accidents on it.

"You literally take your life in your own hands."

Simon is concerned about his 12-year-old son getting to and from school and says pupils from nearby Longfield Academy often use the crossing.

Mr Foster added: "This used to be a quiet village but now it's just overrun with cars.

"Something needs to be done but every time we have raised the issue we've just been ignored."

Kent Police confirmed on Friday the latest road victim was still in hospital but in a stable condition.

Mr Palmer thinks the zebra crossing should to be moved from its current position or replaced with a Pelican crossing with traffic lights.

Simon said he has reported the issue to Kent County Council's highways team.

At the time, Helen Cobby, senior project manager for Kent Highway Services replied: "We receive many requests for the implementation of improvement and safety measures on the highway and, as such, all requests are reviewed and prioritised.

"We use an evidence-based approach to prioritise investment in casualty reduction schemes as we seek to ascertain if there is any pattern of personal injury crash records for the past three years that could be addressed by engineering methods."

She added: "Our data shows in this location there is no such pattern."

But she said the programmes manager had agreed the relocation of the zebra needed further investigation.

Kent County Council were contacted by the Messenger for further comment.

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