A SMALL County Durham community is calling for new traffic-calming measures amid fears by residents that there could be a serious accident.

A speed hump recently installed at the top of Close House is a waste of money according to the chairman of Dene Valley Parish Council, Chris Foote Wood.

"This issue has been on-going for at least 15 years. The county council finally agreed to put in what they said was traffic-calming measures and in our opinion and in the opinion of the locals, it has been a waste of money.

"The so-called table is only half-an-inch high and doesn't have any affect whatsoever," said Councillor Foote Wood.

A traffic priority scheme coupled with a weight and speed restriction would be far more suitable he said.

"The problem would be solved by a series of comprehensive traffic measures. If they would put all of those together then that would have a dramatic effect on road safety," he said.

Residents have complained about cars breaking the speed limit, and vehicles mounting pavements as they try to pass each other.

"The average speed of people going through Close House is 28 miles per hour which is perfectly legal, but potentially fatal. which is why we need a speed limit. We will continue to pursue this until the highway authority finally takes notice of us," Coun Foote Wood said.

County councillor for Close House, Phil Graham, said the council would be looking at alternative schemes for the community.

"The speed hump was a genuine attempt to address the very real concerns of the residents. I am very disappointed that the speed table is inadequate and we are actively engaged in looking at additional measures to further address the problem," he said.