Joy in Holbeach as duck crossing signs get go-ahead
Motorists will be warned about ducks crossing the road following an incident in May when virtually a whole duck family was wiped out in Park Road.
One surviving duckling was taken to a vet's but the senseless loss of the birds - together with a similar case a few days later - saw parish councillors and residents calling for warning wildfowl signs.
Parish councillor Michelle Manley says the county council has now confirmed signs will go up on an as yet unconfirmed date.
Resident Carol Anderson was in the thick of the campaign, launching a petition on Facebook.
Coun Manley says the main issue is drivers travelling far too fast in the town's 30mph limits.
Part of her role on the parish council includes checking on speeding - and she says the council's speed indicator devices have shown drivers repeatedly travelling at 60mph-70mph on Park Road and elsewhere in the town.
She highlights Park Road as a particular problem because of the high speed of traffic coming off the A17.
Coun Manley said: "People are concerned because of the speeding down Park Road, that's the main thing.
"Speeding has got a lot worse since lockdown ended - they have got no consideration."
On May 1 residents witnessed a family of ducks ‘deliberately mowed down’ in Park Road, when only one duckling survived.
Another incident was then reported in Hallgate on May 12, where one of two ducks was said to have been hit and killed by a vehicle.
Coun Manley said there had been a lot of public support for Carol Anderson's petition.
She believes the county council signs are destined solely for Park Road and has had confirmation from highways that "a few" will be put up.
Coun Manley hopes the new signs will save ducks from being needlessly run down in the future.
She said: "We just want drivers to be more aware."
Coun Manley is thinking of stepping up the campaign against speeding drivers in Holbeach by joining Community Speed Watch, where volunteers make checks on vehicles using hand-held radar guns.
The scheme is managed by Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership, and anyone found speeding is sent a letter of advice from the police.
* The county council said in May that some of the wildlfowl warning signs previously in Holbeach had gone missing.
