SPEEDING motorists travelling the wrong way down a one-way street close to a Colwyn Bay school has been described as “an accident waiting to happen” by residents.

Brackley Avenue, in Colwyn Bay, is a busy road during school term time with St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School located on the street.

It is also a one-way road and Brackley Avenue resident, Mike Roberts, said every day there were people going down it the wrong way.

Mr Roberts said: “It is an accident waiting to happen. Every day I see people going down the one-way street the wrong way and they don’t do the 20mph speed limit either.

“It is a race track to some people.

“I have lived here for many years and there have seen several crashes. It is very dangerous.

“There is going to be one hell of a smash there one day, I’m surprised there hasn’t been one already.”

He said while the some of the signs were partly covered by overgrown trees that was no excuse.

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School headteacher James Wilkinson said people going down the one-way street the wrong way was an issue.

Traffic builds up during peak pick up times, with big crowds of school children exiting the school onto the streets and cars helping prevent motorists from travelling the wrong way.

But other periods during the day were still a concern.

Mr Wilkinson said: “It is definitely an issue.

"We have raised it with council and all the signing is correct, so it is very difficult, from our point of view, what more can be done.

“There is no doubt the problem lies with the motorists.”

Speaking about when the road is at its busiest, Mr Wilkinson added: “In my own experience I haven’t seen cars go that way (the

wrong way) at that time of day, with cars parked on both sides and everybody going the one way.

“It tends to be when I am in my office during the day when I see it.”

Mr Wilkinson said St Joseph’s had been working with Conwy County Borough Council (CCBC) to try and resolve the problem, with the council proving helpful.

A Conwy County Borough Council spokesman said the concerns on Brackley Avenue had been noted and environment, roads and

facilities services had been informed of the matter.

Highways officers have been sent to visit the road to check the signage, while civil enforcement officers have also added the area to their patrol.

North Wales Police said they were unaware of the issue, but were happy to act if alerted to the situation.

“We are not aware of any recent issues,” said a police spokesman.

“If anybody could let us know of any issues, we will act upon them.”

Mr Roberts said along with the problem of speeding motorists driving the wrong way down the road there were a number of other

issues he had witnessed on Brackley Avenue.

Not only did drivers travel the wrong way down the street but he had spotted motorists on their mobile phones while driving.

During the school run people had parked their vehicles in front of his driveway or had parked on double yellow lines.

He added: “People pick up their children from St Joseph’s and they leave their car so I can’t get into and I can’t get out of my driveway.

“I also took a photo the other day of a van parked on double yellow lines near my place and he lifted the thumbs up when I took the photo. That is how much he cared.”