TRAFFIC police have vowed to stop student drivers using a Leyland road as a fast-track to college.

Langdale Road has become a regular rat run for teenage speeders - often driving their parents' powerful saloon cars - who tear down the road at speeds well in excess of the 30 mph limit.

Some young drivers are even using the road to race each other, leaving nearby residents in fear of their lives.

Now Leyland's traffic police have promised to turn their attention to the area in a bid to catch the teenage speed demons.

A police spokesman said: "We have an on-going scheme called Operation Bullseye, which concentrates on areas where we know there is a problem.

"Langdale Road is always a problem and will soon receive our attention again. We set speed traps and use modern devices to get scientific figures about the scale of the problem.

"Teenage drivers are always a concern because they are new to driving and sometimes show off, which always makes roads around colleges a problem.

"Unfortunately, our manpower isn't infinite so we have to prioritise areas, but Langdale Road is a cause for concern."

Liberal Democrat Jeffrey Knowles, who has received complaints from residents, said: "There was a police study carried out a while ago which showed quite startling results. People have told me that there is a problem."

Fellow Lib Dem councillor Mary Duckworth added: "It can be very bad in the morning and at night, especially because of the volume of traffic which passes through and blocks Langdale Road.

"At the end of the day, it is a residential street and should be treated as such."

Lib Dem leader Coun Mrs Neva Orrell agreed. She said: "Residents are quite right to be concerned about this problem."

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