CALLS have been made for an investigation into a crossing upgraded as part of the Pennine Reach scheme after a young boy was hit by a car at the weekend.

Concern has been raised about the crossing at the Eachill junction in Rishton after the nine-year-old suffered head injuries while crossing High Street.

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His mum said he had been to a nearby shop with his teenage brother when he began to cross while the traffic lights were on red and the green man was showing.

She said: “It only gives you five seconds to get across the road.

“By the time a child has looked at the light and checked both ways, the light has changed again.

“Anybody elderly or pushing a pram is not going to make it.

“I’m trying to prevent somebody getting really hurt.

“We have been really lucky and I don’t want this happening to somebody else.”

The youngster collided with a woman in a vehicle travelling from Clayton-le-Moors at around 2pm on Saturday.

The concerned mother added: “She said she did not see him until the last minute.”

The youngster was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital where he spent Saturday afternoon before being sent home for observation.

His mum told the Lancashire Telegraph: “They said his brain will be bruised and he has hurt his knee and his ankle. It’s just a case of watching him and loving him.”

Councillors in Rishton yesterday issued a warning to residents until an investigation could be carried out.

A statement shared online by Cllr Ken Moss said: “The Rishton councillors and county councillor [Miles Parkinson] have instructed Lancashire County Council to investigate the timings immediately as it is believed that the length of time allowed for pedestrians to cross is insufficient.”

Cllr Moss told the Lancashire Telegraph: “It’s appalling that somebody has been injured.

“People had expressed concerns about the timing of the traffic lights but this was the first thing I’d heard about the crossing, so the whole junction needs to be looked at.

“It’s a shame because the new junction is a positive thing.”

Peter Bell,the county council’s network control manager, said: “There is a delay after the pedestrian green light has gone out, before the green light signal is shown to traffic.

“This gives people enough time to cross safely and is based on good practice at crossings like this.

“We haven’t been alerted to any faults at this junction and our engineers will be on site to double check the crossing is working properly tomorrow.

“They will also be meeting the county councillor to discuss this issue.”

Work to convert the junction into a fully-pedestrianised pelican crossing got under way last year.

It will have computerised priority for buses as part of the multi-million pound Pennine Reach Scheme.