Residents called for safety improvements to a "notorious" Brandon road yesterday following the second serious accident in just over a week. A motorist was taken to hospital with serious injuries after leaving Thetford Road, hitting an electricity pole, park bench and a tree, close to a children's play area.

Residents called for safety improvements to a "notorious" Brandon road yesterday following the second serious accident in just over a week.

A motorist was taken to hospital with serious injuries after leaving Thetford Road, hitting an electricity pole, park bench and a tree, close to a children's play area.

An investigation was launched into the latest incident, which came eight days after a car lost control and smashed into two bungalows 100m away from yesterday's scene.

Police, paramedics, and firefighters from Brandon and Thetford were called just after 6am following the accident involving a red Ford Focus travelling away from the town centre. The driver, who is disabled and in his 50s, was taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge with a head injury.

PC Richard Godden said a blue Land Rover Freelander heading in the other direction was damaged by debris but the driver was unharmed.

"The Ford has come around the left-hand bend on Thetford Road and gone straight on for some reason. The driver's injuries are not believed to be life threatening or life changing," he said.

The B1107 Thetford Road was closed for about five hours yesterday, causing rush-hour traffic disruption, while BT and EDF Energy engineers worked to repair fallen cables and restore connection for 40 homes.

County councillor Bill Bishop said speeding traffic in the 30mph zone on the main road had been a long-running problem and he would be asking Suffolk Police and Suffolk County Council to do more to address concerns.

"There have been accidents in the past but nothing as horrific as these two," he said.

A Thetford Road resident for the last 11 years, who declined to be named, said: "It is a notorious road and I wish the police and the council would do more to combat the speed and the volume of traffic."

Anyone with information about the accident is asked to contact PC David Shaw at Bury St Edmunds road policing unit on 01473 613500.