St Martins, Gobowen and Weston Rhyn could split speed sign cost

Three villages near Oswestry could share the cost of an electronic road sign designed to cut down on speeding traffic.

The parish councils of St Martins, Weston Rhyn and Gobowen are talking about pooling their resources to bring a flashing sign to the area.

If they agree to pay the siting fees then the running costs of more than £3,000 a year look likely to be paid by the community's Local Joint Committee.

Shropshire Council's area committee has a pot of money to donate to projects and activities.

Councillor Steve Davenport, chairman of the committee, said that if the parish councils and local people were in favour of one of the signs the LJC would look at giving a grant for the £3,450 first year's rent of the sign.

Already installed at speeding hotspots in other towns and villages in Shropshire the electronic road signs flash when drivers are exceeding the speed limit.

They can be adjusted to individual speed restrictions.

Councillor Davenport said that the sign did not have to be installed in just one spot.

He said: "The sign could be moved around from site to site, spending so long in one place and then going somewhere else.

"I know there have been complaints from residents in each village about speeding vehicles so it seems sensible to share the sign between the three."

He said that on top of the £3,450 rental cost each parish council that wanted to get involved would have to pay about £400 a year in siting costs.