SPEEDING drivers are turning a pedestrian-only town centre into a race track and making people's lives a misery.

People living near Bishop Auckland Market Place say they are being plagued by young drivers hurtling through streets at frightening speeds.

David Wright, 57, who lives with his wife, Eileen, at The Elms, overlooking the Market Place, said he was nearly killed by a speeding car while walking home.

He said: "You shouldn't be getting knocked down outside Asda in a pedestrianised zone. I have actually seen three cars abreast racing to the traffic lights from outside McDonald's.

"It is horrendous. You daren't cross the road. They are coming in at Bondgate through to McDonald's, sometimes doing 35, 40 and 50 miles an hour in second gear. They are using the pedestrian zone as a slalom.''

During the day, shoppers using the Market Place, Bondgate and Newgate Street, take advantage of the vehicle-free zone.

But from about 9.30 at night the area becomes a gathering place for youths.

Mr Wright said: "Bishop Auckland must be the only town in the country that has traffic jams on the pedestrian way.''

He said the situation seems to be getting worse. He had been complaining about it for the past 18 months and had asked why closed-circuit television (cctv)cameras cannot be used to trace the registration numbers of the offending vehicles.

He said: "I was told the cameras have not been used since 1998 because of lack of funding.''

Claims that the cameras are not in use have been dismissed by Bishop Auckland police.

Sergeant Kevin Tuck said: "Since the CCTV system was put in place it has been live, it has never been switched off. In the long-term, we are monitoring the use of the system in Crook and Bishop Auckland in the hope that we can utilise the system to its fullest potential."

He said an officer would contact Mr Wright about his complaints and try to resolve the problem.