POLICE have warned drivers to slow down in a residential area where there have been a number of minor collisions. Harpenden Councillor Teresa Heritage fears it is only a matter of time before there is a serious accident along Welbeck Rise in south Harpend

POLICE have warned drivers to slow down in a residential area where there have been a number of minor collisions.

Harpenden Councillor Teresa Heritage fears it is only a matter of time before there is a serious accident along Welbeck Rise in south Harpenden, particularly at the junction with Sandhurst Court where there is a 30mph limit.

Recently, a car travelling at speed came round the corner past Sandhurst Court and almost hit another car coming out of a driveway, narrowly avoiding some children playing in the front garden.

Cllr Heritage said: "It's only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured as some drivers use this road as a race track. Residents are always telling me that drivers use excessive speed and we are speaking to Herts Highways to try to introduce some traffic-calming measures."

Pc Emma Collins said: "Drivers need to slow down and be aware of other road users and pedestrians, including children and cyclists. Parked cars cause a lack of visibility so drivers need to be extra vigilant.

"We want to make sure that we are not investigating a serious road traffic collision on this road in the future. We have previously run speed-enforcement operations and will be looking at running them again."

She added: "Please let us know about any drivers speeding or driving dangerously - if we have an accurate picture of the problem, we can advise Herts Highways and do something proactively to deal with it. It is helpful to have registration numbers and dates and times of when it is happening."

Residents or visitors to the area who want to report any incidents are asked to contact police on 01727 796143 or on the non-emergency number 0845 33 00 222.