CAMPAIGNERS battling for road safety on a busy Hagley road – in which over half of drivers exceeded the speed limit – have won the fight for a new mobile speed camera.

The Safer Roads Partnership in Warwickshire and West Mercia will be launching a new mobile speed enforcement site on Worcester Road A456 following tireless campaigning from residents.

Hagley Parish Council raised the issue with Safer Roads Partnership in response to worries from local residents about the speed of vehicles travelling along the 30mph road.

Anna Higgins, Communications Manager at the Safer Roads Partnership, said: "We will be launching a new community concern enforcement site on Worcester Road in Hagley to address the high level of concern in the local community.

"The speed data we collected in the area has highlighted unacceptably high speeds.

"Over half of all drivers are exceeding the 30mph speed limit and 15 per cent of vehicles travel above 38.4mph.

"With a residential area nearby, residents are understandably concerned about the speed of traffic.

"We hope that the presence of a speed camera will encourage drivers to change their behaviour and drive at a lower, safer speed.

"This will help to improve the quality of life for people living in the area and improve the safety of the road for all those who use it."

The new site will form part of the Safer Roads Partnership’s Community Concern programme, which responds to community requests for speed enforcement.

Preparations for the new site are still underway and, once complete, speed enforcement activity will commence when space becomes available, which is likely to be during 2017.

Speed data will be collected while the site is in operation to assess the impact upon traffic speed and driver behaviour, aiming to reduce casualties and make the road safer.

Hagley Parish Council Chairman Steve Colella and lead councillor for highways, Dr Alec Syrotiuk, welcomed the move to address the speeding along the A456.

Cllr Colella said: "The Parish Council would like to formally thank the Safer Roads Partnership in Warwickshire and West Mercia for their support in progressing this issue.

"It looks forward to further close co-operation to improve the safety of the road for all those who use it and, where possible, further reduce potential risks along the A456 route."