PARENTS living in Milton Abbot say they are 'running the gauntlet' on a daily basis when walking their children to school because of speeding traffic.

Flashing 30mph signs were making no difference to the speed of vehicles travelling through the village on the main A384 Launceston to Tavistock road which have been known to mount the pavement and blow school bags off the arms of children as they roar past, claim parents.

They are making a plea to the local authorities, the police and even West Devon MP Geoffrey Cox to take some action before someone is seriously hurt.

Steve Wilson, who walks his five-year-old daughter to school each day and often with his three-year-old in tow, said some of the parents had recently started wearing high visibility jackets in the hope that someone might think they are police officers and slow down.

'The speed of most of the cars, white vans and courier delivery drivers seems to be well in excess of 30mph when it is clearly obvious small children are only inches away from them on a tiny pavement.

'The road is barely wide enough for one lorry and car to pass let alone two lorries. Recently, only metres in front of us a cement lorry clipped the curb and mounted the pavement for a brief moment but long enough for us to fear for our safety.

'I'm not sure what the answer should be — maybe speed bumps, railings or even a speed camera —but one must be found before something unthinkable happens.'

Anne Fryer, who used to walk her grandchildren to school, said: 'I felt very vulnerable because of the traffic — if a lorry goes past you can feel it. I ended up starting to drive the children because I found it so nerve-wracking.'

Father-of-three Paul Harris said he believed the speed limit should be lowered to 20mph: 'I have one child walking in front of me and one on my shoulders and it is very frightening. You have to stop each time a vehicle goes past. To get them to slow down you have to walk out onto the road.'

Milton Abbot Primary School is well aware of the problem.?Headteacher Jo Nutbeam said the speed limit was there, it just needed enforcing.

'The speeds people travel through, particularly from the Tavistock direction, is a bit disconcerting,' she said.

Parish council chairman Amanda Westcott said that although there was no easy solution to these issues, the parish council was determined to do what it could, working with other agencies, to achieve greater protection for pedestrians.

The police and local councillors were working together to set up a community speed watch scheme, where local volunteers got involved in monitoring speeds of traffic.

PCSO David Chapple said he had been monitoring traffic in Milton Abbot on several occasions in response to local concerns and there was evidence of speeding.

Between 8.20am and 9.20am on August 7, 74 vehicles were travelling at 30mph and under, 40 vehicles at 30mph to 40mph, ten vehicles at 40mph to 50mph, eight warnings were given at speeds from 45mph to 50mph, three were large vans and one was a seven tonne lorry at 50mph.

A spokesperson for Devon County Council said: 'While enforcement of speed limits is done by the police, we do work with them to promote road safety. 

'We've recently received a complaint about traffic, specifically HGVs, travelling fast through Milton Abbot and we will be looking into it. 

'If vehicles are repeatedly ignoring the speed limit and there's genuinely a road safety concern, then we will look into the best course of action to address it.'