A South Oxhey doctor rushed to the aid of two schoolgirls who lay injured in a road following a serious car accident in South Oxhey after school on Tuesday.

Witnesses described how Dr Hussain treated and comforted the two 10-year-olds from Greenfields Primary School as they waited for an ambulance.

Passersby also joined in efforts to help the girls who were hurt at the pedestrian crossing in Prestwick Road by the Meng Zan Express Chinese restaurant.

Jane Wildes was working at Prestwick Chemist, metres from the crossing, at the time of the accident.

Location of the incident

Ms Wildes said: "There were about 30 or 40 people gathering round the girls trying to help them after the accident.

"We were running around like headless chickens trying to get blankets and help in any way that we could."

Ms Wildes said Dr Hussain, from the nearby Prestwick Road Surgery, sat with one of the girls, who had sustained injuries to her face, and kept her talking and conscious until the ambulance arrived.

Jack Patel, who works at Premier newsagents, added: "The doctor was the first one to tend to the girls. They were lucky it happened outside the surgery."

The girls were later treated by paramedics and taken to Watford General Hospital.

The scene was cordoned off until 6.15pm as police carried out an investigation.

Previously there have been problems with the speed of traffic in the road and, though it is not clear if speed was an issue in this incident, residents, teachers and shop owners are calling for "something to be done" about the control of traffic along Prestwick Road.

Mr Patel said he often hears cars "screeching" in an attempt to stop when they approach the pedestrian crossing.

He said: "This was going to happen. I have heard cars’ brakes screeching to a halt at that pedestrian crossing and others just don’t try to stop.

"You need speed cameras up here. It’s a joke the speed that some cars go up this road and something needs to be done."

Tina Meredith, spokesman for Greenfields Primary School, said concerns had been raised about the crossing before the accident.

Ms Meredith said: "I was on the phone to the council this morning and that crossing was just an accident waiting to happen.

"We want something to be done about the speed camera and crossing. We’re concerned about the wellbeing of our children and we want something to be done about it.

"The speed camera should be as you come down the hill so people know when you come round the corner to slow down before you get to the shops."

Simon Hoggett, Hertfordshire County Council’s spokesman, said: "We wish the children involved in the accident a full and speedy recovery. We await the outcome of the police investigation and will carefully consider any resulting recommendations.

"If residents have concerns about speeding traffic on this road they should discuss these with the police and contact their local county councillor to explore the possibility of a traffic study or traffic calming measures.

"There hasn't been a school crossing patrol at this site on Prestwick Road since 2010. At that time the site did not meet the criteria for a patrol, which is based on the number of people crossing at a site and traffic volumes.

"The site was reassessed in January this year and still falls well short of the criteria which is already lower in Hertfordshire than the recommended national level. That being said, at the time of the accident a school crossing patrol would not have been on duty."