PARENTS fed-up with speeding motorists have put up DIY signs urging drivers to step on the brakes.

Residents in Hatch Lane, in Old Basing, took matters into their own hands after witnessing several accidents along the narrow road.

Campaigner Nicola Matthews, 34, is one of those putting up placards with messages such as "Kill your speed, not my child" and "Slow down - children crossing".

Mrs Matthews said: "We want to make the road a bit safer for our children.

"The drivers cutting through the village just want to get from A to B and have no consideration for people who live on the road. When there is a 30mph sign, people think it's okay to drive at 40mph.

"I have two young children and the oldest one has to cross the road during the morning rush hour to get to school. "The only thing that will really reduce speed is to penalise offenders," she added.

Mrs Matthews said she saw a moped ploughing into a garden after a collision with a car in November and her own car was struck from behind as she pulled out of her driveway a couple of years ago.

Brick gateways with 30mph speed signs were installed on Byfleet Avenue and Park Lane in Old Basing earlier this month, but residents say they have had little effect.

Mother-of-three Phillippa Scargill, 39, said: "All the roads in the village are really narrow and should be made 20mph zones."

Sven Godeson, vice chairman of Old Basing Parish Council, has been pushing for speed-calming measures in the area. He said it is too early to judge the effect of the gateways.

He said: "Unfortunately, people will go on speeding."

However, Dickens Lane resident Peter West, 70, contacted The Gazette to criticise the brick pillars as "expensive monoliths". He said: "They are beautifully made, but I don't think they are more effective than poles."

A spokeswoman for Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council said similar gateway measures are to be introduced in Hatch Lane in May.

Corporate director Karen Brimacombe said: "These measures are part of the borough council's ongoing 'streets for people, roads for cars' initiative.

"One of the aims of the scheme is to provide measures, such as gateway features, on roads, to make motorists more aware of the fact that they are entering a reduced speed limit zone."

She said there are currently no plans to reduce the speed limit in Old Basing to 20mph.