Calls have been made for Tip Hill to become a 20mph zone after an 11-year-old boy was ‘clipped’ by a vehicle on his way to school.

County councillor Claire Wright told the town council that she would ask for a decrease in speed as there was ‘no way’ of widening the road. This followed a meeting with police, county officials and district councillor Roger Giles.

Parents and police made an appeal through the Herald for drivers to ‘slow down’ on the stretch from Sidmouth Road to Tip Hill after the boy was left badly shaken but unhurt following the incident.

Concillor Wright said Tip Hill was a ‘dangerous section of road’ and a ‘very concerning issue’, adding: “The road is just so narrow, there is no way of widening it.

“My suspicion is that they [highways] will probably say no - they have very strict rules about how far the 20mph can come out, but it’s worth a try.”

Mayor Glyn Dobson said overhanging vegetation ‘could be cut back easily’ to stop pedestrians being forced out into the road and to prevent the pavement becoming ‘narrower and narrower’.

After the meeting, he said: “It’s a very dangerous road and those going up or down the hill should keep their speed down.”

Cllr Wright said she would also approach The King’s School and Ottery St Mary Primary School about running a campaign with children to ask motorists to drive slowly.

A Devon County Council spokesman said: “Working with the police and local communities, we will generally provide 20mph speed limits, where there is significant vulnerable road user activity and an identified, speed-related, casualty record. To introduce a scheme, mean speeds need to already be low - if not, it would be necessary to introduce features for the new restriction to be self-enforcing. Careful consideration is given to the environmental impacts associated with any schemes, due to the necessary additional signing required in a 20mph limit.”