'ILLEGAL' HUMPS SHAKING HOUSES.

Byline: LAURA CAPEWELL

HOUSES in Rugby are in danger of structural damage because of "illegal" speed humps, it has been claimed.

Homeowners in Bilton have taken up their case with Warwickshire County Council because they say the road humps at the back of their properties do not conform with statutory Ministry of Transport regulations.

Wych-Elm Close residents questioned the design of the humps in Lawford Lane after realising the impact of lorries and buses bouncing over them was causing houses to shake.

One Wych-Elm Close resident, who asked not to be named, said his neighbour had cracks appearing in his walls.

He said: "When you are being woken at 6am every morning when the first bus goes past, something needs to be done."

Father-of-two Neil Smith, aged 32, of nearby Pear Tree Way, said: "When a bus or a skip lorry goes over, they try to line up and straddle the hump but they are left on three wheels and there's a tremendous thump when they come down."

The Wych-Elm Close resident said that, according to highways regulations, each side of a road hump must be built at right angles with an imaginary line down the centre of the road.

He said the Lawford Lane humps were built at an illegal angle because they are on a bend.

Duncan Lord, the county council's team leader for safety engineering, said: "We are aware of the concerns of the residents and we are investigating the matter."

CAPTION(S):

BUMPY RIDE: A car straddles the humps in Lawford Lane