Road safety campaigners have won a major victory after Sutton Council said it would scrap controversial informal crossings installed at Hackbridge.

Controlled crossings will return to Hackbridge after an independent Road Safety Audit and Accessibility Audit recommended the removal of informal crossings near the junction to London Road.

Controlled crossings can come in the form of zebra crossings, or those involving traffic lights.

The £1.4m Heart of Hackbridge scheme sought to improve the area by making it more attractive and accessible though introducing step free access to shops, new shop fronts and wider foot ways.

The plans also saw the introduction of 'courtesy crossings,' last summer, which quickly proved unpopular with campaigners complaining that vulnerable pedestrians such as children or the disabled were at risk.

Michael Parsons, who lives locally, is a guide dog user and vice chairman of Sutton Vision, said: "Since the informal courtesy crossings have been installed many people with disabilities like me have been unable to visit the area independently or cross the busy roads.

"The road safety and accessibility audits have demonstrated that these crossings are unsafe and have marginalised sectors of the community."

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Michael Parsons attempting to use the crossing

As well as recommending the removal of the courtesy crossings, the report has also suggested an investigation into drainage to resolve the poor surface water drainage between London Road and Mile Road.

Tracey Collins, who has been campaigning for changes to the layout since last summer, said: "From the very beginning of the campaign we said formal crossings needed to be reinstated in Hackbridge.

"Our vision for Hackbridge was simple... that everyone felt safe going about their daily lives in their community - whether they are going to school, to work, or just to use the local shops.

"We are pleased to hear that Sutton Council are acting on the recommendations of the Safety & Accessibility Reports."

The council is now set to begin consultation on the new road layout.

Councillor Jill Whitehead, chairwoman of the environment and neighbourhood committee, said: "The council has a duty to monitor the impact of all new traffic schemes. The independent surveys have told us that while 83% of those surveyed people believe the Heart of Hackbridge scheme has improved their perception of the area, some of the changes to the road layout have led to concerns, particularly because of a lack of controlled crossings.

"We are going to fix that by following the recommendations of the surveys as well as bringing in other measures including consulting on putting in a 20 mph zone and also extending the use of a lollipop person outside the school until Christmas while the changes bed in.

"Our changes have been agreed with the Hackbridge Delivery Board and we are going to work with local residents to bring them in." Opposition councillor Neil Garratt, who used his maiden speech to the council in November 2014 to call for action at the junction said: "This safety audit is rightly scathing about Hackbridge's courtesy crossings: they do not work, they are not safe, Hackbridge needs proper crossings.

"The Lib Dems have been in denial of this for months, so we welcome the decision to reinstate proper crossings.

"Now that the Lib Dems accept their scheme's failures, they need to explain why they defended such an expensive, hare-brained scheme for so long, when everyone could see the problems.

"Since the council has now admitted that the campaigners were right all along, they should be big enough to apologise for the negative way they reacted to people raising sensible concerns."