A Suffolk village has come up with a novel idea to raise awareness of speeding - using stickers on wheelie bins. 

Instead of digital signs warning motorists that they are exceeding the limit, as is common in many villages and towns in the UK, drivers travelling through Rushmere St Andrew will instead be greeted by the 30mph stickers. 

The design is similar to the ‘repeater’ signs commonly seen at the side of roads, with the speed surrounded by a red circle and featuring a message exhorting motorists to ‘please drive carefully’. 

Suffolk county councillor Stuart Lawson, who represents Kesgrave and Rushmere St Andrew, has been working to implement measures to improve road safety for drivers and pedestrians in the area, working alongside the Community Speed Watch Team, Rushmere St Andrew Parish Council and the Community Partnership. 

The Rushmere St Andrew Neighbourhood Plan identified speeding as an issue in the parish and the data collected from the Community Speed Watch Team highlighted Playford Road, The Street and Foxhall Road as potential areas of concern. 

Some 1,600 30mph warning sign stickers have been bought for residents to put on their bins and they will start to receive their stickers soon. 

Clllr Lawson said the project would help in part towards addressing some of the excess speed in key spots and work alongside some new Speed Indicator Devices (SIDs) and the local volunteers who regularly help monitor activity. 

He added: "This is just one of a series of measures we have been looking at to make sure drivers and pedestrians are safe in the division.  

“I am pleased to fund this initiative from my Suffolk County Council locality budget.  

“What better way to kick off the New Year than with a proactive step forward to achieving a safer place for residents to live and if successful, we can look at rolling this out throughout the region.’’ 

He praised the work of all the organisations in bringing the project to fruition. 

He said: "Improving road safety is a clear objective and the work of volunteers from the Community Speed Watch Team alongside Rushmere St Andrew Parish Council and the Community Partnership has been invaluable."