30 motorists each hour break speed limit on main Cannock road

Wedges Mills Community Speedwatch group members say they are clocking up to 35 cars every hour driving too fast along the A4601 Wolverhampton Road, with some whizzing along at more than 50mph.

The volunteers, led by former collision investigator Alan Smith, aged 72, pitched up on the route near the Chase Gate pub on four occasions in late August and early September armed with a speed gun recording drivers travelling over 30mph towards Longford Island.

Mr Smith said: "Our main concerns are the speed cars are going, the vibrations this is causing to the houses, the noise, and of course the obvious safety issues.

"It is ridiculous down here. There is going to be a serious accident soon."

The group members have warned their findings are only the tip of the iceberg because they cannot record every driver zooming past. They are only managing to log the details of the first car if a convoy of traffic goes by and have only monitored vehicles heading in one direction.

Mr Smith estimates out of up to 700 vehicles an hour driving past at busy times, more than 500 are breaking the speed limit.

The group has now launched a campaign, backed by 120 neighbours, calling on authorities to bring in a raft of measures to tackle speed and improve safety in the area.

Their requests include having a speed camera reinstated, 'Dragons Teeth' in the road to prevent overtaking and earlier 50mph limits reduced to 40mph to better prepare drivers for the 30mph zone.

The group has also called for central refuges to protect people crossing the road, better signage reinforcing the limits, resurfacing works to address the noise and barriers on the pathways to give further protection to pedestrians.

Mr Smith said: "The A4601 is considered by the county to be a safe road. There have according to the records been no fatal or serious injuries recorded since the camera was switched off a few years ago. The residents tell of different experiences. It seems that it is only by good luck that no one has been killed or seriously injured."

Mark Deaville, cabinet member for transport and highways at Staffordshire County Council, said: "We are aware of the group's findings and will be looking to see if anything needs to be done to address speeding on the road."