Residents who say their village has become a ‘rat-run’ for speeding motorists fear it is not a matter of ‘if’ someone gets killed but ‘when.’

Those living along the A3066 in Melpash say they are afraid to leave their homes as there is no footpath and, when they do, they are faced with speeding and ‘inconsiderate’ motorists.

It has led to the formation of a Community Speed Watch, a group of committed residents sending a clear message that speeding will not be tolerated through their village.

Members Sarah, Carol and Sally, who have chosen to give their first names only, say they are trying to save lives by cracking down on speeding by carrying out three to four speed watch sessions a month. They want to raise awareness of the dangers of ignoring the speed limit and remind drivers that the limit is 30mph for a reason.

The stretch of road on which they live is a 30mph zone, but before and after you reach the village the speed limit is 60mph.

The group caught 25 people speeding in just one hour on a Sunday afternoon.

Sarah, the driving force behind the CSW, set the group up after she was injured stepping out of the way of a speeding vehicle outside her home.

“Every day we see a near-miss,” she said. “The problem here is that it is a bendy road with many pinch points – we are on a pinch point. It’s not just people driving too fast, you get lorries and caravans and the drivers are impatient so they both try to pass at the same time. You end up with everything coming to a standstill and it’s even worse in during the holidays. I have asked for a give way sign at the pinch point but I have had no support.

Carol said: “You often find wing mirrors lying around from vehicles scraping past– I must find about three every month.”

Sally claims the problem is so bad that she and her neighbours are scared to cross over the road to visit their as there is no footpath.

“Every time you walk out the door you have to watch yourself,” she said. “We need a resolution to be able to save lives and hopefully go outside our own homes.”

Carol, who has lived in the village for 15 years, says the amount of traffic has trebled since she first moved to the area – and it is only going to increase.

“People might think ‘well, you chose to live there’, but the volume and size of the traffic has vastly increased and it gets worse as Bridport keeps growing,” she said. “Drivers come up from Bridport thinking it’s a nice, fast road and they don’t slow down when they see the speed limit signs.”

Sarah added: “It’s a safety issue for everyone. We need people to be aware that this is a village and drivers need to be aware of where it is they are driving.

Dorset County Council says that ‘in the current financial climate, we are only able to make very minimal changes to speed limits, which are carried out on a priority basis.

‘Requests for amendments to an existing speed limit, or the introduction of a new limit must be made through town and parish councils.

‘Where the speed limit is 30mph, repeater signs cannot be used as it invalidates the limit for enforcement purposes. 30mph repeaters signs are only installed where there is no street lighting.’

The News contacted Dorset Police for comment.