RESIDENTS who carried out their own speed surveys have persuaded authorities to crack down on dangerous drivers.

Neighbours on Chain Hill, Wantage, grew so fed up with drivers flouting the 30mph limit they spent their own money to catch lawbreakers.

Now Wantage Town Council has agreed to fund an official survey which could finally result in speed calming measures.

Sue Mudway and her family, who live at the top of the hill, paid a private company to carry out a week-long speed survey which found more than 80 per cent of drivers were flying down into Wantage at 45mph on the narrow residential street, and the same percentage sped out of town at 43mph.

One driver was caught driving at 99mph.

In the course of the week, 16,272 vehicles were breaking the 30mph speed limit.

Andrew Burford, who lives at the bottom of the hill, then bought a £99 speed gun from Amazon and set it up at the side of the road.

Within ten minutes he said he had caught enough speeders to convince him of the scale of the problem.

He then put in a Freedom of Information request to Thames Valley Police to find out how many drivers it had caught speeding on Chain Hill in the past five years.

The answer was zero.

He and others in the street had been increasingly concerned about pedestrian safety since Wantage CofE School opened up a new entrance on Chain Hill meaning children are crossing the road daily.

Then, on Friday, September 2, Grove rugby coach Simon Mildren died when his car flipped over on Chain Hill.

There is no suggestion that Mr Mildren was speeding, and police told his family he may have had a heart attack, but the accident focused residents' fears about safety.

Mr Burford, 51, who studies climate change at Imperial College London, said: "As people started talking about the accident and everyone was saying 'we've noticed lots of cars speeding along there'.

"As I went up and down the hill everyone was saying 'if there's something we can do about it, let's do it'.

"I think most people are concerned about the kids crossing – the phrase I keep using is 'dangerously out of control'.

"We just want the authorities to take control."

Mr Burford and Mrs Mudway submitted their survey results to Wantage Town Council member Jenny Hannaby who also sits on Oxfordshire County Council.

Wantage Town Council has now offered to pay Oxfordshire County Council's highways team to carry out an official speed survey, which it is hoped will happen this month.

The town council has also asked a company for quotes on vehicle-activated electronic speed signs.

Mrs Hannaby said: "I was very impressed with the detailed evidence the residents had put together regarding speeding dangers along this road and I congratulate Sue Mudway for showing true community spirit and paying for private speeding survey.

"Obviously residents living on Chain Hill were for many years aware of the increasing speeding and obvious dangers."

The survey results and cost of the signs will all be discussed at this month's Wantage and Grove Traffic Advisory Committee, a consortium of local councillors, police and residents.

Mrs Mudway, who runs Regent Furniture and Books in the shopping arcade in Wantage, said: "I am really impressed with the town council – the fact that they were willing to pay for this for the sake of the children."