A 14-YEAR-OLD pupil suffered major head injuries in an accident with a school bus on a controversial road - prompting renewed calls from residents for the speed limit to be lowered.

The teenager, a pupil at The Hurst Community College, was cycling along Heath End Road, Baughurst, at about 3.20pm on Wednesday when he was involved in a collision with a coach owned by Aldermaston Coaches.

Paramedics and other emergency services rushed to the scene as the boy, who has not been named and was not wearing a helmet, began to lose consciousness.

He was taken to Basingstoke hospital but was later transferred to Southampton General Hospital where he was yesterday being treated in the intensive care unit.

Dave Arlott, a co-owner of Aldermaston Coaches, said one of his staff was driving the coach. The firm is sub-contracted to ferry schoolchildren home.

"The driver slammed on his brakes but the boy hit his head on the windscreen and was catapulted forwards," he said. "The driver is very upset about the whole thing."

Residents in Baughurst have repeatedly voiced their concerns about the road in an ongoing battle to persuade Hampshire County Council to drop the speed limit from 40mph to 30mph. But Mr Arlott insisted his driver would have been within the speed limit.

"The road was very congested so the driver wouldn't have been driving above the 40mph limit," he added.

Isabel Hill, who lives on Heath End Road, is convinced accidents will continue to happen on the road unless the speed limit is lowered and a safety crossing is introduced.

Mrs Hill organised a petition last year - which was signed by 500 residents and road users - urging the county council to impose the lower limit and remove traffic-calming measures.

The campaigners had a welcome victory in November when priority build-outs and pinch-points - which residents insisted made the road more dangerous - were removed after a four-month trial period.

Mrs Hill said: "I don't think there's any doubt a crossing should be installed, or that there should be a 30mph limit - that's something we've wanted all along. Hopefully, the county council will change things."

Jo Schween, who lives in Sheridan Crescent, also wants action taken. She said: "For a road with so many exits onto and from it - and especially with a school nearby - a crossing should be introduced. The 40mph limit is too high. Something has got to be done."

Steve Brown, deputy headteacher at The Hurst, said he and his staff recognised concerns about the road and supported any campaign to lower the speed limit.

"A lot of our students use that road on their way home," he said.

"It's an area where students and vehicles can come into contact and we would support a reduction in the speed limit."

Julia Herron, a press officer for Hampshire County Council, said the road is set to be the subject of speed monitoring.

"The county council does plan to carry out the necessary monitoring of the use of the road, with a view to seeing whether a reduction in the speed limit is justifiable," she said.

"However, with the major works taking place on the A340, accurate monitoring cannot be carried out at this time due to the fact that the road could be being used as a diversion route.

"The county council is unable to reduce the speed limit without these checks first being carried out."

Police have issued an appeal for witnesses to the accident. Anyone with information should contact Pc Stephen Agar, at the Farnborough roads policing unit, on 0845 045 45 45.