VILLAGERS are angry at a lack of warning signs or new footpath on a dangerous stretch of road which has left two joggers in hospital after an accident with a motorcyclist.

VILLAGERS are angry at a lack of warning signs or new footpath on a dangerous stretch of road which has left two joggers in hospital after an accident with a motorcyclist.

The accident happened on the B1113 road through Finningham, near Stowmarket, at its junction with Church Lane at about 6.20pm on Wednesday.

Police have confirmed two people were injured – one suffering a broken leg and the other a broken shoulder – and both needed treatment at the West Suffolk Hospital, in Bury St Edmunds.

Retired Ray Birch and his wife Margaret live along the road and have been lobbying a new footpath, or at the very least warning signs. But the couple were told earlier this year by the county council that no footpath would be possible because the district council was concerned some trees would need to be felled.

Mr Birch, 63, said the accident had involved two women joggers. He added: "The corner here is really bad, there are no warning signs that pedestrians could be on the road.

"Vehicles can come round the road like the wind and my wife has had a couple of near misses. This was an accident waiting to happen.

"The Ash trees are not particularly old or prime specimens and it would not be disastrous to lose them. This route is used by heavy lorries too, someone is going to be hit by one of those soon too.''

Mrs Birch, who wants a footpath on the road, said school children, families, dog walkers and the elderly use the road.

A spokeswoman for Mid Suffolk District Council said: "Our conservation officers have been consulted by county highways to ensure that conservation areas within the district are not unnecessarily spoiled.

"As this accident has illuminated, there are real and pressing concerns regarding public safety and we are both looking at a solution which will encourage people to use a footway, two thirds of which already exists, which is well away from the road without undermining any of the area's natural beauty.''

John Goodyear, Suffolk County Council highways engineer, said: "We are currently investigating the feasibility of building a footpath alongside the B1113 in Finningham. The details have yet to be finalised as part of the intended route goes through trees and hedges and Mid Suffolk DC have objected to their removal on environmental grounds.

"It is possible that the section of the footpath that avoids these trees and hedges could be built next financial year.

"The pedestrian accident record of a road is a factor when assessing a footpath scheme's priority. It is possible that the recent accident may have a bearing on this scheme, but we cannot comment until the full details are known."