A £13,000 unit designed to curb speed was piloted by Redditch Highways Partnership Unit on Thursday.

The speed activated sign, called Speed Alert, is attached to a trailer and is an educational tool used to make drivers aware of the speed they are travelling and the speed limit on a particular road.

If a driver is speeding, the sign will flash the speed the vehicle is travelling at and will show a steady display for those driving at the correct speed.

The unit would be funded by the county council, which is working with West Mercia Police to cut speeding.

Redditch Highways Partnership Unit manager Jim Casey said: "We hope the county council will buy two or three of these units so we can actually use them in the Redditch area but they are still being piloted at the moment.

"A lot of motorists were speeding and the unit did quite obviously affect their speed because it made them recognise how fast they were going."

County council accident studies manager Chris Barski said: "The number of accidents caused by speeding drivers is high.

"The council decided to fund the sign to try to reduce the number of casualties and complement the ongoing village speed initiative."

Sgt John Roberts, of West Mercia Police, said: "Excessive and inappropriate speed remains a major cause of injury collisions in our area.

"In partnership with the county council, we are working hard to reduce casualties.

"This equipment will assist us in our aims to make roads safer for us all."