The headteacher of John Masefield High School is calling for a 20mph speed limit on surrounding roads.

Andy Evans’ comments come after a cyclist suffered a nasty injury in a crash near the school.

Temporary 20mph limits were put in place throughout Ledbury during the pandemic.

The idea was to make the town centre safer for both pedestrians and cyclists at a time when fewer car journeys were being made.

Mr Evans said: “I understand there is evidence that towns with a 20mph speed limit have fewer injuries and fatalities from road traffic accidents.

“I felt that the 20mph speed limit introduced in Ledbury during the Covid restrictions worked well and made cycling in Ledbury safer and more attractive.

“At the end of each school day, approximately 500 JMHS students walk home with the majority using the narrow pavement along The Southend.

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“To help make this safer, we have staggered release times to try and mitigate against overcrowding.

“However, the pavements are still crowded, and I feel that a 20mph speed limit would improve safety.”

A YouTuber who helped an injured cyclist near the school is also calling for the speed limit to be reduced.

M James, who posts videos of road safety offences as Vosa Audits, was visiting family in Ledbury when he came across the aftermath of a crash on The Southend.

“Schools like Ledbury need traffic calming measures put in place immediately,” he said.

“We have witnessed cars driving past this one school in excess of 50mph - in a 30 speed zone, which should be limited to 20mph.”

He also praised police officers for saving the life of the man he helped.

“I called 999 and the operator said the ambulance would be 2-3 hours away,” he said. “I told them it was a serious head injury with blood pouring out of the causality on the pavement.

“So I called the police and told them the situation. Within 15 minutes two police officers from Ledbury came and literally saved this man's life. 

“PC Bacon and PC Blake were amazing and credit needs to be given to these two officers for saving the man’s life.”