FRUSTRATED locals have turned to unusual methods to tackle speeding in their area, creating knitted mannequins to deter reckless motorists.
Members of the Knit and Natter group in Fillongley, Warwickshire, have scattered the lifesize figures around the village to slow drivers down.
Woollen children carrying messages and an figure pointing a speed gun are among the creations.
Elsewhere, knitted zebras line a key crossing in the town while a woollen tortoise encourages drivers to check their speed.
The displays come amid rising concerns about road safety, particularly on busy crossroads including the village’s main junction on Nuneaton Road.
Residents were frustrated by the length of time it was taking for a permanent solution to rampant speeding in the area.
According to Warwickshire County Council, 11 have been recorded at the junction over the past four years.
Ecologist Tom Docker, who has lived in the village for a year, says the figures have been a triumph.
“I think it’s a really good initiative,” said the 42-year-old.
“It speaks to the creativity of the local community, it’s really good that they’ve turned their attention to problems in the village.
“Speeding is an issue and we’ve had quite a lot of accidents here in recent years.
“We have a primary school just off the junction and there isn’t a crossing point for them, and that lack of crossing is going to end in tears one day I think.”
But while the mannequins have amused many, the striking RAF character has now vanished in a disappointing turn of events.
Heather Badham, parish clerk and a member of the knitting group, said she was saddened by the news.
“Someone’s stolen it between 7.10am and 8.05am and I’m gutted for the ladies that knitted that, because of the amount of work that went into it,” she said.
“This is a piece of village heritage and it’s just been taken by somebody.”
The blue-uniformed figure was originally used in a D-Day celebration, representing the dads of one of the knitters.
She added that silly as they might be, the figures were in fact having an effect on drivers, who were seen braking as they approached the knitted speed gun.
“They think it’s an actual speed camera and they slow down,” she said.
Traffic lights at the crossroads were approved by the council earlier this year, but some locals have pushed for speed cameras instead.
The authority said it was mulling over a range of safety measures at the critical junction.
Warwickshire and Commissioner Philip Seccombe said Fillongley remained one of the county’s collision hotspots and acknowledged concerns about road safety in the village.
Meanwhile, members of knitting group have reported the missing figure to police and are considering creating a replacement.
