LEDBURY residents concerned about speeding traffic are calling for the town council to take a lead and considering paying for new signage, speed indicator devices and other measures in problem areas, including the Hereford Road, The Southend and the Gloucester Road.

The move follows accounts of motorists driving at 80mph down the Hereford Road, where the limit is 30mph; and the call for extra traffic measures also follows a serious night-time accident on the Southend in the summer, when a car ended up on its side and spilt fuel ran down the highway.

Ledbury's mayor, Cllr Debbie Baker said it was "possible" that the town council could take on some road safety measures which are actually the responsibility of the highways authority, the cash-strapped Herefordshire Council.

But she is still concerned about the effect this could have on the council tax levels, as set by the town council.

Cllr Baker said: "For every ten people who shout about traffic, ten will shout about the precept; so we are in a difficult situation. There is a lead we could take, but I cannot talk for the whole of the town council. However, it will be debated."

Ledbury resident John Duncan, who lives on the Gloucester Road, said that motorists regularly go 50mph heading towards the Southend, where the limit is 30mph, and he believes better road signage could be one economical solution.

He said: "It costs about £150 to paint a sign on the road. That's not a lot of money. We are playing with people's lives here. I do think the town council should take the lead - absolutely, better signage is better than nothing."

Mr Duncan added: "There's a school at the bottom of that road, the John Masefield High School, and I would also like to see the speed limit reduced to 20mph by the school, during school terms. I don't want to wait until an accident happens."

Dave Kettle, of Challenger Close, campaigned for four years to get a speed indicator device installed on the Hereford Road, but he was "disappointed" it remained there for only three months.

He added: "It's still a very dangerous road, with people belting up and down at speed. Better road markings would be a start; motorists go anything up to 80mph from the top bend and down the hill."

The speed limit is actually 30mph and, as with the Gloucester Road, Mr Kettle believes better signage could be the answer, because there is no 30mph limit signage at present at the end of the Homend, where the road curves and widens to become the Hereford Road.

Mr Kettle added: "The town council should take more of a lead."

Mr Kettle's wife, Annie, pointed out that, a few years ago, a little boy crossing the Hereford Road suffered a broken leg after being in collision with a car.

Former town councillor, Richard Hadley has been talking to concerned local residents and he raised the issue of road safety in Ledbury at last week's town council planning meeting.

He said: "There is a major problem with speeding traffic, inappropriate parking, congestion, pedestrian safety and disabled access along pavements and across roads. Since I raised this issue in January 2015, nearly two years ago, nothing of any substance appears to have been achieved.

"Ledbury Town Council has the competence to take hold of traffic management and do something for the good of residents in the town."