A leading Dereham councillor has reassured the community that improvements to the A47 are on the way, after a man in his 60s died in a crash near Scarning on Friday.

Dereham Times: Queues behind the closed section of road on Friday. Photo: Russ BulmerQueues behind the closed section of road on Friday. Photo: Russ Bulmer (Image: Archant)

Dereham Mayor Hilary Bushell said the town council has been working with Norfolk County Council and Highways to ensure that safety on the A47 is improved and the first round of the improvements will be implemented in 2018.

'On behalf of myself and the town council we are very sorry to hear of this latest fatality and our thoughts are with the family,' said Mrs Bushell. 'It is so hard to lose somebody, especially at this time of year.

'At a recent Safer Neighbourhood Action Panel meeting in Dereham a representative from Highways England attended after driving up and down that part of the A47 to identify the problems.

'In the meeting he said that they are working on improving the Scarning stretch of the A47 but this will not be until March or April next year.

'Those improvements include clearer signage and resurfacing work. The resurfacing is very important because currently the road is a pale colour but it will be made darker to ensure road markings stand out a lot more than they do right now.'

Mrs Bushell added that Highways England is putting a lot of resources into making all of the A47 a dual carriageway over the next few years.

'Mid Norfolk MP George Freeman has worked very hard with the government on this and has already got the commitment. It is just a matter of when the work starts.' she said.

Two vehicles were involved in the accident on Friday and the driver of one of the vehicles, a man in his 60s, was pronounced dead at the scene.

He was the third person to be killed in a road accident on the Scarning stretch of the A47 this year and the third death on Norfolk's roads this week.

Chief Inspector Kris Barnard, head of Norfolk and Suffolk Roads Policing Unit, said: 'Sadly today we've seen another tragedy on our roads and our thoughts are with the families and friends affected by these incidents.

'Full and thorough investigations will be carried out into all three collisions, it would therefore be inappropriate for me to comment further about the causes of these crashes.

'I would however like to take this opportunity to urge all drivers to take extra care when travelling. Many people will no doubt be making journeys during the festive period and I would encourage everyone to allow plenty of time for their journeys and drive to the conditions.'

Anyone who witnessed the collision at Scarning should contact the Serious Collision Investigation Team on 101.

MORE: Man in his 60s dies in crash on A47MORE: Three deaths on Norfolk's roads cause heartache for families before Christmas