HAZARDOUS slip roads from Hatfield Peverel to Witham need to be addressed before 2020, councillors have said.

As part of Hatfield Peverel's neighbourhood development plan, it was thought the A12 towards Witham needed to have an additional lane.

Residents and councillors thought it continued to be dangerous because of the road layout and speed of traffic.

Essex County Council suggested that in 2020 parts of the A12 could be made into six lanes.

However councillors feel the slip roads need to be addressed as a priority.

Patrick Horner, Witham Mayor, said: "The trouble is when you're coming from Hatfield Peverel to Witham you have to look at an acute angle to see traffic coming up- a lot of older residents cannot look round far enough to see.

"The Rivenhall sliproad is also particularly bad.

"It has to be addressed, particularly from the Hatfield Peverel end as it's lethal down there and I think the parish council is right to stress that.

"Something needs to be done now as opposed to waiting until 2020 as there have been accidents down there."

James Abbott, district councillor for Silver End and Cressing, said he has been campaigning to have the slip roads at Rivenhall made safer.

He said: "We secured a scheme on the northbound side at The Fox Inn which was completed quite recently – to improve the junction island and install better advanced signage - but the signs were smashed down in a crash and now need replacing.

"We are still trying to get a meeting with Highways England and they are now indicating the A12 will be widened through Rivenhall End to six lanes. "We don’t see how that can be done with the current closeness of homes and businesses to the road and the very short slips.

"We could lose more bus services as providing alternative routes through the rural roads and lanes to avoid the A12 would be difficult.

"I strongly support a safer A12, but don’t support the calls to turn it into a motorway standard highway and am concerned that local communities are not being effectively involved in decision making about the future of the road."

Leslie Priestley, from Hatfield Peverel Parish Council, was in charge of the neighbourhood plan.

He said: "We have had problems on both slip roads as the speeds are very high.

"The one going towards Witham has always been bad and I have personally been hit from behind by a lorry on there.

"The slip roads need to be improved which will make more capacity available on the A12.

"The A12 needs to be three lanes going north and the whole of the Duke of Wellington pub roundabout and sliproad in Hatfield Peverel needs to be redesigned, as people don't know who has priority."

A Highways England spokesman said: “Earlier this year, we carried out safety improvement work at the Oak Road junction at Rivenhall and in 2010 we added an extra lane southbound between Witham and Hatfield Peverel to improve the slip road giving drivers more time to merge onto the A12.

“This work has already reduced congestion and improved journeys for motorists.”