HUNDREDS of Worcester residents have signed a petition to bring road-calming measures to their "race track" streets.

Residents in Teme Road and Avon Road, in Tolladine, claim the stretches are being used as a giant racetrack and want the brakes put on speeding drivers.

One householder, who asked not to be named, had her car written off last month when a stolen Ford Fiesta smashed into the back of her stationary car just before breakfast time.

The force of the crash was so great, it shunted into another vehicle parked further up the road and left tyre marks stretching back 42ft.

The woman described the estate as being "like a race track".

Another man said that, last year, a wall in Teme Road was sent flying when a car ploughed straight through it and finished up in his front garden.

Residents say they regularly hear screeching car tyres cornering the roads at high speed in the 30mph zone.

They now fear it is only a matter of time before someone is injured.

Richard Warner, who managed to collect the signatures in just one weekend, presented their petition to Tom Comerford, the city council's senior engineer of transportation and traffic management.

Mr Comerford admitted there was a general problem in Worcester with cars speeding in residential areas.

He said he would pass on the complaints to the county council in order to carry out a speed survey around the two roads.

"Currently there is no specific budget for road calming measures in Worcester," he said.

"The only money available from Central Government is through the safer routes for schools initiative to reduce child accidents.

"The first step is to carry out a speed survey.

"If there is not a significant problem we will ask the police to carry out more enforcement of the 30mph zone."

"If the speeding is widely excessive and the area has a proven record as a road safety hazard the we will seek funding from the road safety budget."

Mr Comerford said records were already kept of ''cluster'' problem sites to identify potential danger areas.

He said a number of these areas were already being prioritised and road difficulties in St Peter's Drive had recently been tackled.