A MISSING traffic mirror has made a blind junction in a Herefordshire village dangerous, locals have said.

The traffic mirror, which was set on the corner of the Ridgeway Road and The Rhea in Sutton St Nicholas, opposite Churchway, vanished without a trace some months ago.

Pictures confirm the mirror has been in place since at least 2009, but is believed to have been there for much longer.

It allowed drivers exiting the Churchway turn to see to the right, as the view is blocked by a farm building.

Jo Prior, who lives in nearby Wyatt Road, said the mirror has been in place for as long as she can remember and that its absence has made using the junction dangerous.

"It is going to cause an accident," Mrs Prior said.

"Drivers speed up as they come down the hill on the Ridgeway Road and you cannot see them from the junction."

Mrs Prior said she believes the council urgently needs to replace the mirror.

Sutton St Nicholas Parish Council confirmed they have approached Herefordshire Council about the missing mirror, but were told that while there are a number of existing traffic mirror sites maintained by Balfour Beatty in Herefordshire, the Sutton mirror was not on their list.

"In addition, looking at the 2009 Google Street view of the area the mirror appears to have either been affixed to the wall or to a post behind the wall, which indicated that the mirror was erected by a local individual, with the permission of the property owner, rather than by the Highway Authority as they would affix it to a post on the highway," the parish council's minutes reported they had been told by Balfour Beatty.

Parish council clerk Tony Ford said the council did not know who had removed the mirror, but that they were keen to see it reinstated after concerns were raised by locals.

"We have asked Herefordshire Council for a site visit and agreed that the parish council is willing to pay for it," Mr Ford said.

"It's a very funny junction because of the wall, and you have to just take your time and hope for the best."

Mr Ford said he had spoken to roads contractor Balfour Beatty, who said the decision to replace the mirror was up to Herefordshire Council.

"Other than putting it in ourselves, we have done everything we can," he said.

A Herefordshire Council spokesperson said: “We can confirm that we have received a request to reinstate this traffic mirror, which was not installed by the council, and will work with the parish council to implement an appropriate solution.”