THE Mayor of Worcester has controversially labelled a speed camera van placed in Tolladine Road "hostile" - saying he's been inundated with complaints from the public over it.

Councillor Alan Amos has hit out at the van parked up by Altaf's Balti, which as your Worcester News revealed last month, was placed there by the Safer Roads Partnership due to the speed some vehicles are travelling at.

He has also called upon Worcestershire County Council to let politicians know before any speed vans are placed in certain locations in the future, but the authority has responded by saying it has no say in the matter.

Cllr Amos raised the issue during a full county council meeting, saying: "I raise this particular question because of the very high level of complaints I've had about the speed camera car which suddenly appeared a few weeks ago parked on the pavement in Tolladine Road.

"From (one) direction it was an unmarked car, because the marks were on the front of the car and it was facing backwards.

"People have asked me why a speed camera notice was placed so close to this vehicle, that it did not give motorists a safe time or distance in which to reduce their speed."

He asked Councillor John Smith, the cabinet member responsible for transport at County Hall, to intervene, saying the Safer Roads Partnership should "work with motorists" and "not engage in what motorists perceive to be hostile and stealth measures".

Cllr Smith said: "We'll certainly take this up with the partnership - if they're doing this they shouldn't be snooping behind closed doors, so to speak.

"It should be done in an open and transparent manner and we'll take it up with them."

One of the signs is around 50 yards before the van as motorists drive down the hill towards Worcester.

The Safer Roads Partnership says 15 per cent of vehicles using the road are travelling at least five-and-a-half miles over the 30mph limit, and it is those concerns that led to the van being introduced.

Vicky Bristow, spokeswoman for the body, also says during the three years up to the end of 2013 there have been "12 collisions causing slight injury and three collisions causing serious injury" in Tolladine Road.

There are permanent speed camera signs either side of where the van has been parked.

* Cllr Amos sits on both Worcester City Council and the county council, representing Warndon.

He has since stressed that he has no personal view on the speed camera van, and was only passing on the concerns of all the constituents who had contacted him about it.