RESIDENTS are calling on highways chiefs to bring in new road safety measures on a stretch of road treated like the Monte Carlo rally by some motorists.

RESIDENTS are calling on highways chiefs to bring in new road safety measures on a stretch of road treated like the Monte Carlo rally by some motorists.

Needham Market residents living near Coddenham Road, which has a 30mph limit, want to stop cars driving too fast in and out of the town.

Pat Carter, who lives just off the road in Uvedale Gardens, has been calling for traffic calming measures and said: “It is a bit like the Monte Carlo rally. People drive so very fast into Needham Market along that road.

“Young people go like there is no tomorrow. There is an old people's home on one side of the road, elderly people can't rush across like I can.

“The local lake has hundreds of thousands of people visiting in the summer, who walk down Coddenham Road. I worry there is going to be a serious accident there.''

Wendy Marchant, a district councillor for Needham Market, has been contacted by concerned residents and has alerted the county council as the authority responsible for the highways.

She said there are many elderly people living in the area and she fears for their, and others, safety on a road used to reach Needham Lake, the car boot sales and A14. She hopes they will find a solution, which might include speed humps to slow drivers.

Mike Nunn, Suffolk Constabulary spokesman, said: “We have received reports of people driving too fast along that stretch of road and are investigating.''

The constabulary have also put the SID machine – speed indicator display – which displays a grumpy face at motorists who pass by going too fast to alert drivers who may be unaware of the speeds they are driving at in Needham Market.

A Suffolk County Council spokeswoman said: “A local transport action plan for Needham Market was published in 2000 and many of the agreed schemes for the town have been successfully implemented. “We have therefore planned to meet with the town council shortly to discuss the next round of schemes to progress. We are aware of the concerns raised by residents regarding vehicle speeds in Coddenham Road.

“As we are due to meet with representatives from the town council and other stakeholders, this issue will be discussed at that time. The date of the meeting is not yet set but we hope to meet during mid to late January.''