THE chairman of an advanced driving group says the county council is 'putting lives at risk' with the position of new 40mph signs on the Alvechurch Highway.

Gerry Harrison, of Rospa's West Midlands Advanced Driving Association, said the signs give motorists just three seconds to slow down from 70mph to 40mph from the moment they are visible.

The signs have been placed on a bend approaching the Coventry Highway junction from the south but the county council says they are well within guidelines.

"Drivers are now having to make a very difficult choice - either hit the brakes to reduce speed to the legal speed limit and cause a major accident, or not brake or reduce their speed, which is breaking the law and risking a fine," said Mr Harrison, who is also a driving instructor.

"While doing this they also have to hope other drivers are going to react the same way.

"An accident is waiting to happen and lives are being put at risk. Other driving instructors and a road safety officer have also highlighted the very dangerous situation."

Redditch Highways manager Jim Casey said the signs were within safety guidelines set by the Department of Transport.

The signs should be visible for at least 110m but drivers can see the new ones from more than 200m away, said Mr Casey

"If you are doing 70mph or less there should be enough time to break safely," he added.

"There are restrictions on where we can put signs though because of fencing and vegetation and unfortunately, we can't put them any further out from the island."