A12 Patrols Reduced

2 February 2011, 14:09 | Updated: 16 February 2011, 12:25

Dedicated road patrols on the A12, that have helped bring down the number of people killed or injured, are being reduced

Essex County Council became the first local authority in the UK to fund road patrols back in September 2009.

But, with the initial funding for the scheme coming to end in March, the county council's given police a hundred-thousand pound grant.

It means patrols will continue, but only during peak times, Monday to Friday.

During the first year of the scheme, the number of people killed or seriously injured was reduced by 14 percent and journey times were improved.

Essex Police say they will carry on responding to emergency calls and accidents on the A12 as they do on other roads in the county.

Chief Inspector of Roads Policing at Essex Police, Richard Philibrown said: "Learning from the experiences of the past seventeen months, Essex Police will now integrate A12 work with mainstream roads policing to reduce congestion and enhance public safety on this key route through our county."

Essex County Council and Essex Police are busy finalising the exact details on how the patrols will operate from April 2011.