'20mph signs on narrow Oswaldtwistle alleyway are a waste of public cash'

Whewell Row, next to West End Methodist Church, Oswaldtwistle, is a short entry way, cobbled where it meets Blackburn Road, and has just five old cottages along it.

However, Lancashire County Council’s highways department has included it in recent 20mph schemes being rolled out across the area.

Arthur Haymes, who lives in nearby Blackburn Road, said he was stunned. He said: “I am aghast at what I can only describe as a blatant waste of public money. It is barely ten feet wide and only just wide enough for a car.

“I would hazard a guess that it’s unlikely a vehicle has ever attained a speed of 20mph on Whewell Row. I suspect some official at County Hall has seen the row on a map and ticked it off along with the other roads.”

Staff member Debbie Bennett at nearby sandwich shop Yummies said they had been highly amused when they saw the signs.

She said: “It’s quite simply ridiculous. You’d never get up to that sort of speed.

“The only time you would drive up is to unload the car. The poles have made the access even narrower now. If you were moving house, you’d never get a truck up past those signs.”

Oswaldtwistle borough councillor Colette McCormack said: “I don’t understand why this happened. Anyone can see it is a dead-end and this decision simply does not make any sense.”

However, borough and county councillor for Oswaldtwistle Peter Britcliffe said: “I know it seems daft, but there are countless streets to be included in the scheme and mistakes will happen. I have done my best to make sure small streets aren’t included.”

Paul Binks, county council road and transport safety manager, said: “We’re taking a common-sense approach to the 20mph schemes by not putting signs on every street, and keeping signage to the minimum allowed. We do, however, need to put signs where the speed limit changes from 30mph on a through-route, such as Blackburn Road, to where drivers enter a network of residential roads where the limit is 20mph.”