Neighbours in a Thornbury street have held a rat-themed demonstration in protest over the road being used as a rat run.

Crossways Lane residents donned rat masks and made placards on Saturday morning to show their anger at the increasing volume of traffic.

They were also joined by people from further afield, as well as members of TRAPPD (Thornbury Residents Against Poorly Planned Development).

Recent developments in the town have seen a significant rise in traffic along the lane, particularly at rush hour.

It is used by motorists travelling north out of the town as a way of avoiding queues to get on to Gloucester Road or the A38 during rush hour.

Traffic-calming measures have been introduced in the past but residents claim these have been ineffective. Many now want the lane closed to vehicles altogether.

Gerry Pitman said the lane was becoming ‘very dangerous’ for pedestrians, particularly for families who have to retreat to the heavily eroded verges to avoid traffic on the way to school.

“The lane is narrow for much of its length which poses a major safety issue.

“Closing the lane would provide a safe, green artery through an increasingly urbanised part of Thornbury,” he added.

Referring to proposed new developments in the town Gerry said: “The situation will only get worse, The effect on the lane just boggles the mind.”

A spokesman for South Gloucestershire Council said they needed to fully understand the impact these new developments would have before introducing new traffic-calming measures.

They said: “We are working with the local community to understand the current and future traffic issues in the area.

“The number of proposed developments in the vicinity means we need to fully understand the expected impact of increased traffic before deciding on a course of action.

“Whilst closing roads removes the issues from the location closed, the traffic needs to go somewhere, and we do not want to create a problem elsewhere in our attempts to resolve the issues in this road.”

Councillor Maggie Tyrrell, Chair of the town development committee for Thornbury Town Council said: “We have had extensive discussions with South Gloucestershire Council and the residents on this matter and believe that further traffic calming measures need to be introduced as a matter of urgency.”