Fed-up residents fear it is "just a matter of time" before someone is killed by cars hurtling along a narrow village road at 60mph.

Church Street in St Peter's, Broadstairs , has been the scene of a number of accidents and near misses over the past few years.

Concerns have been raised about speeding, lorries exceeding the weight limit using the road and queues of traffic contributing to "unnecessary" air pollution in the village.

Dad Richie Heron says there have been a number of crashes and injuries because “people have not been patient or followed the rules”.

"Once the traffic has cleared at night it’s like an open rally course for anyone who fancies having a speed through the village," the 35-year-old said. "Some people fly through here at about 60mph."

But during the day, Mr Heron also experiences issues with the heavy traffic build-up and fears the air pollution caused is dangerous to his family.

"They don’t realise that they’re sat about 18 inches from someone’s front window," he said.

'It is just a matter of time before someone gets killed...'

"But they’re blasting music all day long outside my house while my kid is upstairs trying to sleep."

He has also witnessed huge lorries coming down the street, despite 7.5 tonne weight limit, which force other vehicles to mount the pavements to let them through.

"It is just a matter of time before someone gets killed," he added.

Cllr Mike Garner (Green) would like to see Kent County Council consult with local residents before any measures are implemented.

"As well as introducing a 20mph speed limit, traffic lights at the road narrowing should be considered," he said.

"This could easily be implemented on a trial basis and would need to go hand in hand with more enforcement and a publicity campaign."

Cllr Garner also shared concerns about air pollution in the area and is looking at measures to tackle the issue.

A Kent County Council spokesman said: “Whilst we sympathise with residents, we have to make tough decisions on where to improve traffic and road safety in local areas.

“We look at the sites most in need of improvement first, which have got the support of the whole community.

“KCC will be conducting surveys to gather information on vehicle speed and classification along Church Street in Broadstairs.

“Managing the speed of traffic is essential to continue reducing the number of and severity of casualties on our roads."

Insp Sean Scarsbrook of the Thanet Community Safety Unit said police are "committed to keeping our roads safe" and officers regularly work with partner agencies to carry out speed enforcement activity and reduce the number of casualties on roads.

"We have not been made aware of ongoing concerns in Church Street, St Peters, Broadstairs and would strongly encourage any residents concerned about dangerous driving to report the details to us straight away," he said.

"This information is valuable and helps us deal with incidents accordingly."

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