SHOCKED parents have started a campaign to stop further road deaths after four-year-old Alfie Jones was tragically killed last week.

The "bright, happy boy with an infectious smile" died after a collision involving a school bus on the hump bridge on Field Road, in Huish Episcopi, near Langport.

Now parents and residents of the Langport area have set up a campaign to install railings along Wincanton Road and Field Road and to install a pedestrian crossing linking the Brooklands estate with Garden City.

Hundreds of devastated residents have already pledged their support to the petition online and in paper form.

Calley Bingham, of Westover, near Langport, has been spearheading the campaign.

The young mother-of-two said: "I didn't know Alfie but over the past week I feel like I might as well have.

"I have spoken to his dad, Nigel, every day since and I'm determined to get these safety measures put in place.

"The whole community has been devastated by this tragedy but the tragic thing is that it could have been any child who was killed. We're willing to take this right to the top and will not stop.

"Our stomachs sank when we heard the news and we're not going to let this happen again. "As a parent I'm just determined to make our area safe for our youngsters.

"We're willing to fundraise and do whatever to make this happen and to do it for Alfie."

The campaign, called 'Let's do it for Alfie' hopes to get the support of Huish Episcopi Parish Council and Langport Town Council to install the railings and a pedestrian crossing. For that to happen Somerset County Council would have to give approval.

Alfie's funeral will take place today – on the date of what would have been his fifth birthday.

The driver of the South West Coaches school bus, a 28-year-old man from the Yeovil area, has been arrested and bailed on suspicion of dangerous driving.

The devastated community has pledged its support to the campaign and nearby residents have told the Western Gazette of the horror that unfolded last Tuesday afternoon.

Emma Green, of Garden City, is a neighbour of Alfie's parents Nigel Jones and Georgina Roberts. She rushed Alfie's mum to the scene.

She said: "I was about to leave when Georgie came out and flagged me down. She was saying 'Alfie's been knocked down, Alfie's been knocked down'. I drove her to the bridge and there were loads of people totally flustered and shaken.

"It has left everybody shocked. It wasn't until the next day when I was down at the primary school that I burst into tears with some of the other parents.

"Alfie was just as he's been described – a bubbly, lively and energetic boy. Garden City is normally buzzing with activity with all the kids playing on the estate. It just hasn't been the same. There's been a real subdued atmosphere and no one in sight.

"Everyone is in shock but it's important now that some good comes out of it and that lives can be saved."

Tilly Fowler, of Brooklands Road, Huish Episcopi, said that the tragedy would prevent future deaths.

She said: "He has already saved three children's lives as his brave parents courageously agreed to have some of his organs transplanted.

"His death has brought the community together and highlighted the importance of making the roads safe for our kids in Langport and Huish. The whole issue of the footpath along the railway line and the path along the bridge needs to be looked at. No one will ever forget Alfie after this."

Caroline Hector, of Field Road, said the tragedy was every parent's nightmare.

She said: "For a long time people have been saying that there's an accident waiting to happen, and there have been accidents in the past. When it happened you physically felt sick and just hoped that nobody was hurt. It's important something is done about the path as we can't let this happen again."

County councillor Derek Yeomans met with campaigners on Tuesday to discuss their plans. He said the pedestrian crossing would need permission from the council's highways department and could cost around £180,000. The railings would be at an additional cost.

The petition is available in shops and pubs in Langport.