How to stop motor traffic!

An elderly road safety campaigner is bringing traffic through his village to a standstill every day by repeatedly pressing the pedestrian crossing button. Tony Fuller, 77, a retired aircraft fitter, has caused tailbacks up to four miles long, prompting the police to intervene. He said the "motorway" levels of cars and lorries produced unacceptable noise and pollution on a route which had no pavement for pedestrians. Mr Fuller added the problem had been getting worse for 30 years so he had decided to take action.

The road is one of the main routes along the south coast but he claims no action has been taken to tackle rising levels of traffic. Last Friday, Mr Fuller led a group of about 25 elderly protesters carrying placards to the A35 through their village of Chideock, near Bridport, in Dorset. They then took it in turns to stop the vehicles by pushing the button controlling the traffic lights, allowing the lights to briefly turn green to allow a small number of cars to pass each time.

Drivers caught in the resulting disruption called the police who issued Mr Fuller with a warning but no arrests were made. The group repeated their action yesterday after promising the police that they would not stop the traffic during the school run or the rush hour. The protesters could, in theory, be charged with a breach of the peace if their action leads to a disturbance.