A young boy suffered serious head injuries when he was knocked down by a van in Wolverhampton.

The eight-year-old was hit on the Birmingham New Road, opposite a children’s play area, near the junction with Rookery Road in Lanesfield.

Police cordoned off a stretch of the busy road after the accident, which happened just before 12.45 yesterday afternoon. In-bound cars were diverted along Mount Road while emergency crews worked at the crash scene.

The boy, who is from the Wolverhampton area, is in a serious condition in New Cross Hospital. People living nearby called for something to be done to stop accidents at the blackspot.

Firefighter Mark Billingham, who lives close to where the accident happened in Birmingham New Road, said there were frequent accidents on the stretch.

“We’ve lived here for four years and there’s an accident a month,” he said.

The 40-year-old said the crashes were caused by the sheer amount of traffic using the road.

“It’s really terrible. I think it’s because of the volume of traffic,” he said.

“I think it would be better if there was another set of traffic lights.

“There was a shunt here on Saturday night because of someone going too fast.”

Mr Billingham said a lack of speed cameras on the carriageway heading towards Wolverhampton meant motorists often sped along the road.

Fellow resident John Roberts, aged 70, said drivers had little regard for the 40mph speed restrictions.

“They do exceed the speed limit when they come down here,” he said.

“It’s worse during the mornings and evenings when people are on their way to and from work.

“It’s a very busy road.”

West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman Claire Thomas said: “The eight-year-old boy had a serious head injury and crews immobilised him using a neck collar and spinal board before transferring him to New Cross on blue lights.”