too late!

TRAFFIC calming measures are needed on a road used as a rat run by motorists, say Penketh residents.

They argue that cars, HGVs and lorries using Stocks Lane as a short cut to get from Great Sankey to the A562 Widnes Road regularly ignore the 30mph speed limit.

Paul Moore, of Stocks Lane, said: "It's a narrow road with houses on either side and residents have been parking their cars on the road not out of laziness but to slow down the flow of traffic at peak times, and also because it is very dangerous getting in and out of their own driveways.

"Penketh Primary School's playing fields are also in regular use by childrens' football teams and I would hate it to take a young child's death through an accident to highlight the problem of the speed and volume of traffic in the road.

"Maybe Stocks Lane should be reduced to a 20mph zone with a speed camera and road humps."

Sgt Joe Royle, at Warrington Police Station, said that Stocks Lane was monitored earlier on in the year in a covert operation, but it was found that speeding was not a problem.

He added that there are not high levels of reported accidents taking place along the road.

Traffic bosses at Warrington Borough Council said they keep records of the number of accidents in the town.

Areas with high accident rates are prioritised for traffic calming measures and highway chiefs confirmed that Stocks Lane is not one of these at the moment.