Several cars have been hit and written off along a street in Kidderminster leaving residents "fed up" with the road being used as a rat run. 

Residents in Park Street said the damage to cars has been so severe over the past five years that some insurance companies will no longer insure those living on the street. 

The road is very narrow with residents complaining that HGV drivers attempt to use it despite the "expect for access" signs and 7.5-tonne weight limit. It is also being used as a rat run from Worcester Road to Park Butts Ringway. 

The group are now calling on Worcestershire County Council to make the road one-way and implement speed calming measures to help reduce the damage to vehicles. 

Kidderminster Shuttle: Resident Jackie Morgan stood by her campervan that has been damaged Resident Jackie Morgan stood by her campervan that has been damaged (Image: Jackie Morgan)

Resident Jackie Morgan, who has lived on the street for 39 years, said: "The problem has been getting progressively worse over the past five years with more and more people hitting cars on the street and driving off. 

"Less than two weeks ago, someone had their car written off by a vehicle that went up on two wheels and crashed into the side of the car. My brother's car has been hit five or six times and ours have had the wing mirrors knocked off. 

"You wake up in the morning not knowing whether your car has been damaged. It's ridiculous. We're just so fed up now, it's becoming a joke."

The residents said they approached Worcestershire County Council Highways about the issue and asked to have a meeting, but nothing has been done. 

The County Council have disagreed and said a number of site visits have been undertaken to explore possible solutions with "several improvements implemented". 

There are speed bumps on the street but Ms Morgan said people try to avoid them by driving to the side and end up hitting the cars. 

Residents have asked the County Council to make the street one-way but said they were told it would increase speeding on the street. 

Kidderminster Shuttle: Residents are calling for the street to be one-way Residents are calling for the street to be one-way (Image: Jackie Morgan)

The 58-year-old nurse said: "We have contacted the County Council but they just say they will get back to us and nothing gets done. It really feels like they don't care about us and we've just been forgotten. 

"A lot of the houses on the street are rented and not all of us have the money to keep repairing and replacing the cars. We have insurance but we don't want to keep claiming as it is making our premiums go up. 

"It might be a few hundred pounds each time but it soon mounts up and it is affecting our pockets. We just want the County Council to listen to our concerns and act." 

In response to the concerns raised by residents, a spokesperson for Worcestershire County Council said: "Our Highways department, police colleagues and North Worcestershire Community Safety Partnership have worked alongside the local county councillor, Tracey Onslow, to explore a number of possible solutions to residents’ concerns about both speeding and car damage in this area.

"A number of site visits have been undertaken with several improvement methods implemented.

"Any considerations for alleviating the current concerns have been communicated to local residents, including the reasons why some have not been implemented.

"Further improvements have been proposed, however these suggestions have not been supported by local residents."