APPEALS to improve safety along a stretch of road in Locking where a seven-year-old was killed earlier this year have been heeded, with work set to start next week.

A £225,000 sum will be spent by North Somerset Council to move the path along the A371 away from the roadside ‘where possible’, after young April Reeves was killed when she fell from her bicycle into the road in May.Her parents have since called for a grass verge to be installed along the pavement to avoid repeat accidents, and hundreds of people attended a march campaigning for better road safety in the area.

At April’s inquest, father Garry Reeves said: “I just want the road changed – if there had been a grass verge she would have fallen onto that.

“We have been told the council are going to do something but there is no timeline for it. I always though prevention was better than cure.”

This week the council announced work will begin on the scheme, which includes widening the path to three metres, on Monday. The path will also be extended past the Elm Tree Road junction to Laneys Drove roundabout, so people can cross in a safer area.

Elsewhere, a route between Uphill Marina and Walborough Nature Reserve will be brought up to standard with a new path installed and existing gates re-furbished. Just under £200,000 will be spent on the project.

Deputy council leader Elfan Ap Rees said: “Both these schemes are part of an ongoing policy, funded by government, to provide new off road cycle and pedestrian routes between settlements in North Somerset.”