A TINY baby had a lucky escape when the car it was travelling in crashed into two other vehicles in Fiddlers Hamlet - just weeks after residents renewed their demands for traffic calming at the spot.

The weeks-old child and motorists emerged unscathed from the smash, which happened just after 3pm yesterday (Monday March 8), at the Coopersale Street and Mount Road junction next to the Merry Fiddlers pub on the outskirts of Epping.

Last month the Guardian reported on a campaign by residents in the hamlet who say their lives are blighted by “weekly” crashes at the junction, and want Essex County Council to reduce the 60mph speed limit and introduce traffic calming.

Neighbour Michelle Evans, 44, said the latest smash demonstrated the need for road safety measures.

She said: “In this case I think what happened was that a car pulled out of the junction and a car coming along the road swerved to avoid it, but hit another car coming the other way.

“Fortunately no-one was hurt. It was lucky that even though the baby seat was in the back of the car the baby was in the front with someone.

“It is worrying and I do think it's only a matter of time before someone is going to get really hurt. Maybe then the council will listen.

“Something needs to be done.

“And it's not just the layout of the road. The road surface is dreadful and full of potholes too."

Roy James, 58, of the Merry Fiddlers pub, witnessed the aftermath of the crash.

He said: “It's always the same thing with cars at that junction.

“The damage on one of the cars was pretty bad. The whole of its front side caved in. It was very lucky no-one was hurt.

“At this rate I don't think the council will ever do anything about it. There's so many crashes but it doesn't seem to make a difference to them. The last one we had before this was only last week too.”

A spokeswoman for Essex Police said officers were not called to the scene, but residents say crashes happen so frequently at the spot that most of them go unreported.

A spokesman for Essex County Council said: “Essex County Council is aware of the issue and has conducted preliminary investigations into the possibility of lowering the speed limits in Coopersale Street and Mount Road.

"Further investigations into whether this can be implemented will now be taking place.

"The safety of residents is always the priority for Essex County Council.”