PLEAS are being made to turn a Worcester estate into a 20 miles-per-hour zone - with more than 160 people signing a petition calling for a slow down.

Residents on the Blanquettes estate, near Bilford Road in Perdiswell, say lives are being put at risk by drivers.

Worcester Green Party has knocked every single door in the estate and says 84 per cent want the speed limits reduced.

A petition is being handed in at a full meeting of Worcestershire County Council tomorrow urging highways chiefs to act.

It follows concerns too many motorists are pushing the 30mph limit, despite the estate being self-contained.

Resident Neal Murphy, of Longfellow Road, which is on the estate, said: "The roads are being used as a short cut to avoid delays on Bilford Road and Droitwich Road.

"Parents have expressed concern for the safety of their children and residents are worried for their pets, with some telling of cats being hit and killed by speeding motorists.

"Safer streets are more likely to encourage children to walk to school, making for a healthier start and end to their day and taking some of the excess traffic away from busy roads."

Green Councillor Matthew Jenkins said: "When I've knocked doors in the area a number of residents have raised this as an issue, there was also someone who said their cat was knocked down.

"It's a fairly self-contained estate with lots of families, people with young children and pets, and you find drivers can push it so 30mph becomes 35mph.

"It's very much the kind of estate where this will work and when we knocked doors, 84 per cent were for it."

A total of 164 names are on a petition calling for the change, with only 12 householders saying they did not like it.

The Green Party is proposing that there are 20mph signs on the entrances to the streets, rather than speed bumps.

The county council says it will take away the petition tomorrow and give it some consideration.

Councillor John Smith, cabinet member for highways, said: "We are aware that a petition is being handed in at the council meeting regarding Blanquettes estate.

"As with all petitions, we will review this once it is received and respond accordingly."