CAMPAIGNERS battling to improve safety on a Fareham danger road where a schoolboy died following an accident earlier this year, may have won a partial victory.

Hampshire County Council highway chiefs have admitted that Titchfield Road, Stubbington, is a special case and needs a pelican crossing.

Daniel Beveridge, 13, was killed in May as he walked along the pavement with a school friend.

He was fatally injured when he was struck by the hydraulic arm of a lorry and his pal was injured.

The road is a main artery to Lee-on-Solent and Gosport from the west and campaigners have been pressing for improvements for years.

Last month, around 100 residents stopped the traffic in Titchfield Road when they marched in protest to press for action. Flowers were laid in memory of Daniel.

After an on-site meeting between protesters, Gosport MP Peter Viggers and local councillors, the county council has said the road is a special case and meets criteria for a pelican crossing.

In a letter to Stubbington councillor Dorrine Burton-Jenkins, highway officers have pointed out that an average of 1,364 vehicles per hour were clocked in Titchfield Road during the busiest four-hour period and that an average of 38 pedestrians an hour crossed the road.

Mrs Burton-Jenkins welcomed county backing for a pelican crossing.

She added: "It seems that the survey has revealed the road is a special case and meets the criteria required for a crossing.

"A crossing has been approved in principle and there must be careful consideration where it should go.

"Something has got to be done in Titchfield Road because of all the extra houses being built at Cherque Farm, Lee-on-Solent and at Priddy's Hard, Gosport.

"I believe a lot more people would cross Titchfield Road if they stood a chance of getting across.

"The county now has to find the money for the crossing and it should go in next year's estimates.

"The next thing is a Stubbington bypass which really is the only long-term solution to solve the problem."

Sonja Blackman, co-ordinator of the Titchfield Road campaign, gave the news a cautious welcome, adding: "A proper pelican crossing will slow down traffic. It will help people get across the road and should make it safer for schoolchildren."

But she also felt a Stubbington bypass was necessary.