THE Mayor of Droitwich Spa is calling for the vehicle ban in the town's bustling High Street to be removed before someone is seriously injured by the confusion it is causing.

Councillor Richard Morris also hopes that an incident can be prevented with the removal of misleading signs at the top of the High Street.

Town councillors have applied to Worcestershire County Council's highways partnership unit asking for the removal of the Saturday ban on vehicles in the High Street because some motorists are ignoring the ban and putting others at risk.

Because there is no physical barrier to stop cars speeding through the busy High Street on a Saturday, it leaves residents and shoppers in a potentially dangerous situation.

The High Street is currently pedestrianised on Saturdays so shoppers can walk where they please carrying heavy shopping and pushing pushchairs without having to worry about road safety.

However, some drivers ignore the ban and others are unaware it exists because of the confusing sign at the top of the High Street. The sign reads 'No Vehicle Access - Saturdays Only'.

Cllr Morris said: "The road is meant to be closed and there are highway signs at the top of the High Street.

"It is for safety reasons, but because of the ambiguity of the signs it means there is now a problem."

Town clerk Diane Malley added: "This problem has been going on for quite a while because the road is not physically blocked. We want to prevent serious injury to pedestrians by removing the confusion about when vehicles can and can't use the road.

"We have applied to the highways partnership unit to lift the order so that vehicles can use the High Street everyday. That way there can be no confusion about when cars will be driving along the road."

The highways partnership will now carryout a consultation process by speaking with the town council and Droitwich police about the problem before issuing a public notice about the health and safety issues and putting a report together.

However, because of the time it will take to compile the report and eventually get the ban lifted it is hoped temporary barriers can be used to prevent the problem in the short term.

The town council is now looking into the option and also for someone who is permitted to put up a temporary barrier to stop vehicles until the confusion is removed.