ROADSIDE signs that tell drivers they are speeding are the latest weapon in the fight to make County Durham's roads safer.

The signs are to be installed near Cleves Cross Junior and Infant School, Ferryhill, and Burnhope Way, Peterlee.

Encouraging drivers to obey speed restrictions is at the heart of Durham County Council's speed management strategy. The authority's long-term aim is to reduce road accident deaths and serious injuries by 40 per cent by 2010, halve the number of child deaths and cut the number of slight injuries by ten per cent.

Environment and technical services director Chris Tunstall said: "Figures have shown that where the signs are introduced the percentage of drivers speeding falls from 70 per cent to 35 per cent. The vast majority of drivers don't speed on purpose, they just don't realise the speed they are going at.

"We want to educate drivers to cut their speed. Our roads are about the safest in the country and there are only one or two authorities that have fewer accidents per hundred thousand people. But we want to improve on that and we have come up with a strategy to address the fact that speed is a contributory factor in 25 per cent of accidents.''

Two years ago there were 1,573 accidents recorded - compared with 12,646 in 1996 - including 19 fatal and 155 serious injury incidents.

The strategy will also entail the council carrying out engineering works to tackle problem roads and the police enforcing limits.