SECRET police cameras have proved families' claims that speeding motorists cause danger in their street and that urgent safety action should be taken.The cameras caught nearly 200 drivers speeding in just 24 hours in narrow and car-clogged King Street in Walton, Felixstowe.

By Richard Cornwell

SECRET police cameras have proved families' claims that speeding motorists cause danger in their street and that urgent safety action should be taken.

The cameras caught nearly 200 drivers speeding in just 24 hours in narrow and car-clogged King Street in Walton, Felixstowe.

Residents today demanded that council chiefs take a fresh look at the situation in the road to prevent a child being killed as they stepped up their safety campaign.

Councillors have refused to take action in King Street, despite the majority of residents wanting action to cut speed.

Families are furious and say they are being fobbed off – while money is blatantly wasted on unnecessary safety work at other places in the town.

Automatic police surveillance equipment monitored the road, used as a rat run to avoid nearby traffic calming, for 24 hours and found more than 185 drivers who used the street were speeding and "liable for prosecution".

King Street resident Paul Woolstenholmes said: "This just proves our case for safety work.

"What we want to know is why we keep getting fobbed off and ignored by the council. We handed in a petition but I expect that has been binned.

"They seem to find money to spend elsewhere, but not where it is needed and wanted by the people. I expect they will be round wanting our votes though at election time.

"Someone will get injured or even killed along here soon. Thirty miles an hour is too fast for this road and when you find out 185 were drivers a day are doing more than that, it is disgusting."

A child was recently hit by a car after running out of an alleyway between two houses straight into the street, but the car was not speeding and the child suffered bumps and bruises.

Residents were puzzled how £25,000 could be found for a safety scheme at Brook Lane, Felixstowe, a wide road where there was no accident problems, yet no help for King Street.

Insp Jim Woods, of Suffolk police traffic department, said King Street had been used by 2,285 vehicles on April 18, the day of the automatic camera surveillance, with the average speed 24 mph. Some eight pc of cars had been speeding, most of them between 5pm and 6pm.

However, the street did not warrant regular police speed enforcement compared with other roads.

The county council-town council Felixstowe highways advisory committee has rejected residents' calls for traffic calming, partly because it is felt this would then move traffic into other unsuitable neighbour streets.

The committee has asked consultants Oscar Faber, currently looking at all traffic problems in the town, to suggest a remedy and this is now taking place.

Residents have called for a 20mph speed limit, humps and bumps to slow vehicles, and consideration of barriers in the centre of the street to make it access only for residents.