A “FRIGHTENING” accident which left a child battered and bruised has led to new road-safety measures being introduced.

In May, seven-year-old Guto Thomas was out playing in Pensyflog, Porthmadog when he ran into the path of a car, injuring himself.

He had been running in a popular cut-through between the residential estate and the town’s train station before ending up in the street where he was hurt. The incident saw an emergency ambulance and Wales Air Ambulance rush to the scene but fortunately paramedics were able to treat Guto at the scene.

The incident raised serious fears for parents in the area as there had been concerns for many years that children may hurt themselves running out onto the street from the blind alley.

Many parents and children use the cut-through to get to and from school and there had been previous calls for a barrier to be installed to protect the youngsters.

Gwyneth Thomas, Guto’s mother was thankful that action had been taken.

“It was very frightening when Guto had his accident, all the parents in Pensyflog were worried,” she told the Cambrian News.

“I contacted [Cllr Nia Jeffreys] the afternoon it happened and was pleased that a council officer came out to look at the path.

“It is a huge relief to see the barrier in place now – I am sure it will stop accidents in the future.”

PC Llinos Lake was one of the first on the scene after Guto’s accident.

“When I arrived at the location, I could see that a seven-year-old child had been involved in an accident with a motor vehicle,” she said.

PC Lake’s report also called for the council to consider erecting a barrier to prevent any further potential tragedies, a wish which has subsequently been granted as a new barrier was erected last week.

Cllr Jeffreys, a campaigner for road safety, was also pleased that further accidents had been prevented.

“Thank you to Gwyneth and the other parents for bringing this to my attention – I am happy to work with parents to make Porthmadog children safer,” she said.

“This is a busy path for children walking from Pensyflog to and from school and I am very pleased to see the barrier in place. It will stop children from running into the road.”

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