Villagers plead for 20mph limit near Shrewsbury 'before someone is killed'

Villagers have pleaded for road safety measures before a child is seriously hurt or killed.

Speedwatch has been carried out in Longden to try and slow drivers down

People in Longden, near Shrewsbury, say cars are whizzing through the village and it's only a matter of time before someone is hurt.

Residents did put up their own makeshift sign, which was then taken down by Shropshire Council and replaced with a proper sign. But villagers insist more measures need to be brought in to get people to watch their speed.

Volunteers have been running speedwatch campaigns on the main road through the village during hours when children arrive at school and when they leave. They found on average 150 cars were travelling through, with about 10 per cent speeding.

Campaigner and parent Jackie Ingham has written to Shropshire Council. In her letter she wrote: "We urge the council to urgently implement 20mph signs. For Longden, there are no signs whatsoever warning drivers they are approaching children crossing the road and we demand that the council addresses this as a matter of urgency before a child is hurt or killed.

"Longden village is a 30mph area and children have to cross the main road between School Lane and Plealey Lane at the brow of the hill at the crossroads to access the school, the nursery and also the village hall play area. There are few signs reinforcing the 30mph speed limit on the approach to this crossroads at the junction with Plealey Lane (up Longden Bank).

Villagers erected their own 30mph sign to try and slow cars down going through Longden

"The parish council has been undertaking speed watch at this area of the village since 2019. Typically, around 150 vehicles pass along the road with 10% of those speeding above 35mph. Many more exceed the 30mph speed limit.

"There are no signs to warn drivers they are approaching the school and children crossing the road.

"Longden village has been designated as a hub in the Local Plan Review and there will be even more children crossing the road when new housing is built. The risk of a child or parent being hurt or killed will increase as numbers crossing the road increases. Please take action to keep children safe on our road."

A spokesman for Shropshire Council said: “There are no current plans for the introduction of any speed reduction measures in Longden, however we could potentially add a request for 30mph signs/measures to slow down cars to our list of service requests for future consideration.

“We have not had any concerns raised with our learning and skills team by senior leaders at the school.”