A SOUTHAMPTON councillor is calling for a “rat run” used by thousands of motorists every day to be blocked off.

David Furnell, member for Millbrook, is concerned that continuing to allow the use of Villiers Road as a thoroughfare is “dangerous” to the local community.

He adds that it’s used by an array of vehicles, from cars to artic lorries, which all try to navigate tight residential streets, such as Heysham Road and English Road, to make use of the shortcut.

The roads are lined with parked cars, homes, and a primary school.

The call comes as work starts on German discount supermarket chain Lidl’s new Shirley store, which will be situated on the Villiers Road.

This, both the councillor and resident John Lethbridge says, will mean the use of the road will get worse once the new store opens later this year.

“Closing off the end of the road will make the neighbourhood much quieter and also safer,” said Cllr Furnell.

“With the way some motorists drive through here, it can be quite dangerous at the moment.

“I have spoken with all the residents in this area and I have found that they are all in favour of the idea.”

Earlier this year, the road was closed for five days at the residential end – in the same place as is being proposed – so drainage works could take place.

This, Mr Lethbridge said, was “great for the residents”, with Cllr Furnell adding that it “showed the closure could work”.

“The road [as it is at the moment] is creating major problems because of the through-traffic,” said Mr Lethbridge, who has lived at the top of Heysham road for 18 years.

“The road is very unsuitable for HGVs and bigger vehicles, and they cannot turn the tight corners without mounting the pavements.

“The other issue is vehicles passing each other on the road, when they are bigger ones – like vans – the road isn’t wide enough for them to drive around each other so you can sometimes get ‘Mexican stand-offs’.”

However, in response to the call, Councillor Jacqui Rayment, the city’s transport boss, said no plans were tabled to close the road.

“A decision was made at the Planning and Rights of Way Panel that Villiers Road would not close at the Heysham end as part of the new Lidl development in Shirley,” she said.

“We will however be monitoring the impact on the road and the wider area in the future, ready to take action if needed.”

The state of Villiers Road is also a concern raised by Cllr Furnell, with potholes and damage strewn across the highway.

However, this is expected to be dealt with soon as Lidl has given the council £70,000 from ‘Developer Contributions’ to get it up to scratch before the store opens later this year.

The road is also home to Royal Mail’s Shirley headquarters, as well as The Gym.