Motoring terror indulged by the government and the police

"It is a blackspot here – it is well known – but people have been walking away from accidents so they don't count them as serious. It is only a matter of time before someone mows down a child walking back from the school."

He reeled off a list of accidents outside his home in the past two years, including a car ploughing into his home 18 months ago, two which have smashed into a hedge at the side of his house and cars hitting trees and lampposts. He said residents demanded action at a Police and Communities Together meeting six months ago.

Resident Ann Small has also been campaigning for better road safety measures on Preston Road. She spearheaded a petition and even hand-delivered a letter to Gordon Brown about the issue.

There were 31 accidents and 57 people injured on the road between 2002 and 2007, according to statistics.