RESIDENTS of Hanbury Wharf Lodge Park have voiced their concerns after a four year campaign to reduce the speed limit outside their homes has revealed that cars can’t legally be speed checked.

The concerns have been raised for several years, over a stretch of Hanbury Road, which is north east of the town and approximately 800 metres long, stretching from near the rugby club to the Eagle and Sun pub.

The speed limit drops down from the national limit to 40mph for approximately three quarters of a mile in a straight length of road, and residents believe drivers consistently break the speed limit.

Resident Alan Bourne, said: “It’s so tempting for people to just not ease off and they don’t. I’m amazed there hasn’t been a really serious accident.

“I feel until something actually happens, somebody gets badly hurt or killed, nothing is going to get done. I’ve nearly had cars smash into me. It’s really dangerous.”

Police have been asked to monitor vehicle speeds on the stretch of road, but it has been revealed that officers must stand a certain distance inside the limit area to monitor traffic, and this particular stretch of road is too short to legally monitor the speed of vehicles passing through the 40mph zone.

Mike Digger, traffic management adviser for Worcester City, Wychavon and South Warwickshire, said: “Where we’ve got limits such as that, we had to comply with the Association of Chief Police Officers guidance, which states that officers have to be 1/10 of a mile within the posted speed limit, and if you’ve got a limit as short as 700-800 metres there’s clearly an issue. That does give us enforcement problems.

“If you have got a housing development with 200 houses there fine, if you’ve only got two or three we’ve got to look at whether that limit is really appropriate for that stretch of road. It has to be achievable and believable.”

“Our attention is based on casualty reduction and road safety issues. You can achieve a lot with simple carriageway markings and signage edge of carriageway markings which make it look narrower than it actually is. If you can’t change a limit then you have to look at what you can do with engineering to bring the speeds down so it doesn’t require a police service.”

After four years of campaigning the revelation has annoyed some of the park’s residents.

Mr Bourne added: “To me it’s an accident waiting to happen, I’m amazed it hasn’t happened yet. Signs should be relocated. I think it should be dropped down to 30mph. People just don’t slow down.”

The issue has been raised with Worcestershire County Council highways department.

Peter Blake head of integrated transport said: "The council is satisfied that there are adequate signage along the Hanbury Road advising drivers of the legal speed limit they are to keep to. We will continue to monitor the situation and work closely with our partners at West Mercia Police."