PEOPLE in Norton Fitzwarren are pleading with drivers to stop using the windy road through their village as “a race track”.

Locals, fed up with having to jump out of the way of speeding vehicles, decided to take things into their own hands to show how serious the problem is.

They have been using hand-held speed detection devices to check how fast some motorists go through the 30mph zone, used by over 800 vehicles an hour at peak times.

On the eight occasions they spent an hour clocking speeds over the past eight weeks, drivers have been caught doing up to 45mph along the stretch of the B3227.

Under the Speedwatch scheme, motorists going too fast are reported to police, who can then send out letters to the offenders advising them to slow down.

Norton Speedwatch co-ordinator and parish councillor Mike Palmer said: “With over 600 vehicles travelling though the village every hour and most doing speeds well over 30mph, it was decided that something needed to be done to slow traffic though the village.”

Mr Palmer added: “Local children are back at school and, with the nights now drawing in, even more care is needed on our roads.

“Our village has nine bad bends and vehicles going above 30mph have the potential to kill.

“Speedwatch has a recorded speed of 45mph though the village and a large cement mixer at 39mph - these are crazy speeds for a village this size with an elderly population who have to walk on narrow pavements and cross busy roads.

“To all you who have to use the B3227, it’s not a race track. Please think of others and keep your speed down, Mr Palmer said the parish council wants Somerset County Council to extend the 30mph from the village to the Cross Keys roundabout so that drivers approaching Norton would not be going so fast.

A Somerset County Council spokeswoman said: “We would be happy to consider a formal request to reduce the speed limit at this location, however no such request has been received.

“A change in the speed limit would require consultation with the police, who are responsible for enforcing speed limits, and the local community, before it could be considered.”