There are fears a child could be killed after seven vehicles were clocked travelling at more than 90mph through a village’s 30mph zone.

The reckless motorists were among a staggering 20,000 drivers recorded speeding through Preston, near Canterbury , in the space of a week - including during the school run.

The alarming traffic survey conducted on the B2076 also caught 195 vehicles travelling at speeds of between 50 and 60mph - with a further 80 reaching 60 to 70mph.

Now, the parish council is considering investing in its own speed gun and plans to install a ‘give-way’ gateway at the worst-affected Wingham end of the village.

Parish council chairman Ollie Chapman says the issue of speeding has long-blighted the village but any attempts to persuade Kent County Council to act have so far fallen on deaf ears.

“We have known it is a serious problem for some years so commissioned our own study, which involved speed-measuring strips in the road, and the results were frankly shocking,” he said.

“Some of these are crazy speeds, but even when we presented the evidence to the county council they were dismissed because there are no records of serious accidents to go with it.

“It’s become a case of does a child have to die before we get support or some sort of traffic calming measures?”

The speed survey was commissioned by the parish council earlier in the year and the data was analysed by Cllr Alwyn Pidgen, who has a background in statistics.

He said: “It has to be said that the survey was done at the time the B2076 was being used as a detour because the Sandwich Road was closed, so the traffic was heavier than usual.

“But that doesn’t excuse the extreme speeds we found at all times of day, even during the school run.”

Concerns about the latest speeding statistics were posted on Facebook by Lisa Jenkins, who lives in the middle of the village and believes a 20mph restriction might help.'

'People are feckless and use the narrow road like Brands Hatch'

She branded the speeding drivers “selfish” and is pressing for action.

Posting on Facebook, Christopher Woodger says something needed to be done urgently in order to “slow the reckless idiots down”.

He added: “It’s gone from being able to walk along the main road peacefully with the odd few cars, lorries, tractors or buses to these days taking your life into your own hands.

“People are feckless and use the narrow road like Brands Hatch.”

Kent County Council has approved the installation of the new ‘give-way’ gateway at the Wingham end of the village, which is being funded by the parish council.

But councillors believe it will only act as a partial solution to the problem and are now considering investing £2,000 in the parish’s own speed gun, a move set to be discussed at their next meeting.

Read more: All the latest news from Canterbury