RESIDENTS are celebrating victory in their 20-year battle for traffic calming measures on a road they say is 'like the M1'.

After consultation between Lancashire County Council, local councillors and residents, a scheme was put together to suit everyone and work is expected to start on July 14.

It will involve putting in speed humps along Hillingdon Road and Underley Street, Burnley, which is often used as a rat run by speeding motorists and bikers.

Residents have grown increasingly concerned about the speed of cars passing through the estate, which has a lot of children living on it.

More recently, people living between Hillingdon Road and a field above the estate have complained about the danger of youths riding scrambler bikes up and down their streets close to where their children play.

Mary Pounder, 52, of Kingsbury Place, said she was delighted to finally see something being done about the road, which is also close to her grandchildren's house.

She said: "A lot of people use Hillingdon Road as a shortcut and they don't care what speed they are going at. It only needs a little child to run across the road and it doesn't bare thinking about.

"This scheme will definitely be a good thing. It's like the M1 up here, especially around 5pm when people are coming home from work. You can be coming up Underley Street and you will get idiots zooming down and not even thinking about giving way to you.

"My grandson was walking across the road with his bicycle and a car came speeding along. How he didn't get hit I will never know."

In a bid to get traffic calming schemes in place, the residents contacted their local county councillor Terry Burns who said he was delighted that the schemes were finally under way.

He said: "Hillingdon Road is a fast road and we have had lots of people campaigning to get traffic calming there over many years.

"The final consultation took place in July or August 2002 and it was advertised in February this year. There were no objections so it was given financial approval in March. A contractor was appointed on May 23 and a start date of July 14 has been given.

"It is a dangerous road and the motorbikes are all part of the problem."

Members of the Kibble Estate residents association handed in a petition to the council in 1998 which was signed by 334 local residents and supported by ward councillors and county councillors asking for speed humps and a 20mph limit in Underley Street and Hillingdon Road.

Mother-of-three Jane Willers, of Amersham Grove, said: "The scheme is a good thing generally although we are having one outside our house which will add to the noise with cars and buses having to slow down and speed up again."