TOWN leaders have completed a major U-turn and sounded the final death knell for a controversial proposed traffic-calming scheme.

As revealed in last week's Shuttle/Times and News, Worcestershire County Council - which was handling the project in Bewdley - has decided it cannot proceed with the £223,000 plan for 53 calming features in streets around Cleobury Road.

And members of Bewdley Town Council, which was previously in favour of the scheme, voted unanimously to agree to the project being shelved at its meeting on Monday night.

The about-face follows the West Midlands' history-making first ever parish poll, which was demanded by residents, up in arms at the scheme which they saw as being excessive for the needs of the area.

The plan was first mooted in December 2000 to use Government cash to make walks to school safer for pupils of St Anne's first and middle.

Eighty per cent of those voting at the end of May were against the full implementation of the blueprint, but 86 per cent gave the thumbs up to measures closely targeted on school crossing points at Cleobury Road and Wyre Hill.

Monday's vote marked a major turnaround for Health Concern mayor Frank Baillie, who consistently backed the plan before he was voted onto the town council last month.

In a letter to the Shuttle/Times and News in February he denounced the protesters as having "lost the plot".

Labour councillor Paul Gittins, who was re-elected to the town body this year, also laid into them at a meeting in January after the Shuttle/Times and News carried a story featuring the views of representatives of the Chamber of Trade, Bewdley Town Centre Management Forum and residents' leader Tony Hall.

Mr Gittins said: "These people are just representing themselves."

But county council director of environmental services Richard Wigginton said in a letter to Monday's meeting: "As a result of the outcome of the recent parish poll it seems to me that I would have real difficulties in recommending that the scheme as advertised should proceed and that we should consider a much simpler, less comprehensive and more localised scheme."

This was accepted by the town council following a unanimous vote.