A NINE-year-old girl suffered a broken leg when the bicycle she was riding was involved in a collision with a car.

The collision happened outside the Plate and Porter restaurant in Station Road, March, at 3.35pm on Tuesday - the same time a fire broke out in a 300-year-old cottage in Nene Parade, March.

The girl, who had been cycling home from All Saints Primary School with her 11-year-old brother, was taken to Peterborough City Hospital and had an operation on her injured leg.

Station Road has been the target of a safety campaign by parents of children who attend three nearby schools: All Saints Primary School, Maple Grove Infants School and Westwood Junior School.

Mother Tamsin Nichols, who has led the calls for safety improvements, said: “We have been a little bit too late for this girl but let’s not let any more kids suffer accidents.

“It’s already a bit of a nightmare. To be honest, we feel like we have failed her. It could have quite easily been her head instead of her leg.”

In December, campaigners presented petitions boasting more than 700 signatures to councillors demanding a permanent crossing on the traffic hotspot.

The current safety measures - two small islands in the middle of the road - have been attacked as outdated and inadequate.

In November, parents, children and residents completed a mass walk to school, thrusting the issue further into the spotlight.