Boy racers in cars “with big exhaust pipes” are roaring along a danger route that has been a magnet for high-speed crashes, a councillor says.

Herne Bay Tory Andrew Cook claims reckless drivers have been recorded travelling at more than twice Station Road’s 30mph limit by speed cameras.

This comes as elderly people living in retirement complex Oakland Court say they fear for their lives crossing the perilous thoroughfare – and particularly its junction with Western Avenue.

It has now been revealed that a mini roundabout is set to be installed at the turning, which forms a crossroads with King’s Road, in a bid to slow down traffic.

“We’ve had a whole run of accidents happening on that crossroads,” Cllr Cook explained.

“We need to do anything to slow drivers down because they seem incapable of going down residential areas thinking a dog, child or older person may come out from behind a parked car.

“I see cars going up Station Road at 70mph. That can be a young man with a big, broad exhaust pipe on a BMW going up there, with a Golf charging up behind him.

“Over the years, I’ve seen many accidents with the cars ending up on pavements, so it’s by the grace of God we go without somebody standing there when the crashes happen.

“Everyone’s driving as if it’s a motorway, and enough is enough. It’s the sensible option.”

Cllr Cook, who has received dozens of complaints from concerned residents about the junction, says the work was previously expected to cost about £40,000.

He believes the changes will make the route - and the crossroads - “safer, calmer and nicer for everybody”, having recorded as many as four accidents in the area a year.

Oakland Court manager Chris Coshall, whose retirement complex houses dozens of people aged between 60 and 99, says vehicles travel around the corner at “the most frightening speed”.

“I’ve been out to umpteen crashes there – it’s horrific,” she told KentOnline.

“The owner of a shop nearby could see near-misses at that junction almost hourly.

“When you’re trying to cross, cars come down at such a rate of knots.

“It’s frightening crossing that road. How somebody hasn’t been killed, I don’t know.”

Ms Coshall also states that some of her residents are so scared to cross the route that “they ask me to take their letters over to the post box for them”.

Canterbury City Council documents show the work to install the roundabout will begin in August.