FRESH calls have been made for a major road between Bradford and Leeds to have fixed speed cameras in a bid to tackle the scourge of speeding cars.

Concerns were raised in the Telegraph & Argus last year over drivers reportedly hurtling along Bradford Road, between Thornbury and the Pudsey ring road junction, at eye-watering speeds of more than 100mph.

They were said to be using Lamborghini and Ferrari supercars to race along the busy route.

Locals said they feared someone would be killed or injured in a high-speed crash.

Now Councillor Andrew Carter, Leader of the Conservative Group on Leeds City Council and ward councillor for Calverley and Farsley, has called for fixed speed cameras to be put on the route.

“It has already been reported in parts of the media alleging high powered vehicles deliberately being raced along Bradford Road, A647, at very high speeds,” he said.

“I believe this to be a fact. Not only that, there are regular reports of vehicles speeding, including motorbikes.

“Residents who live on Bradford Road are quite rightly very concerned about the situation but what sometimes isn’t realised is that people who live some considerable distance away, on the residential estates bordering the A647 can hear these vehicles into the early hours of the morning, clearly going at speed.”

Cllr Carter added: “It is not acceptable for Leeds City Council to claim that it is part of the West Yorkshire Local Authorities Partnership that provide speed cameras.

“Leeds is one of the largest local authorities outside of London with a multi-million pound budget, they should be able to take unilateral decisions on where to put speed cameras.

“My constituents who live in the area, and indeed myself and Councillor Amanda Carter, believe it is only luck that has prevented a serious accident already and the time to act has been self-evident for long enough and it’s time for Leeds City Council to take responsibility.

“They are about to spend significant sums of public money on bus lanes, on the A647, and then the remodelling of the Dawson’s Corner roundabout.

“They must include fixed speed cameras and they should be prioritised now.”

One resident previously told the Telegraph & Argus: “Residents of Thornbury regularly are awoken in the early hours to the sound of what resembles a professional racetrack.

“This has become a weekly problem ever since the roundabout was removed as a traffic improvement measure the other year, but this basically created what is a one-mile drag-strip starting near the B&Q in Thornbury all the way down to the ring road, where they then speed up the other side, over and over again in the night.

“Supercars against bikes, against 500bhp Range Rovers. We are talking about Ferraris, Lamborghinis doing what must be 120mph.

“We know these cars hit 60mph in less than four seconds, so when you can hear them set off flat out for what seems ages, you can tell how fast they are going.

“It’s only a matter of time that one of these is going to lose control and hit a house or kill some innocent road-user.”

Leeds City Council was contacted for comment on the issue.