"HAS a child got to get killed before they do anything?" That's what one mum said about Barnsley Council after her warnings that a new housing development has turned her quiet cul-de-sac into a traffic hazard.

Gemma Crookes, who lives on Fenn Road, Tankersley, said the new 20-home development had extended the cul-de-sac and meant twice as much traffic was now fighting to get through.

She said: "Fenn Road was a quiet cul-de-sac and kids got used to playing out on the street. Now they've put new pavements in, which has narrowed the road, and there are big lorries coming through delivering topsoil - they have to go up on the pavements to get past.

"The speed limit is 30mph which is much too fast for the amount of traffic now coming through."

Mrs Crookes is calling for traffic calming measures and she and other residents have voiced their fears to the police who referred them to Barnsley Council's highways department.

Mrs Crookes, who works part-time at a hair salon, said: "Highways told us there have been no accidents on the road for the last three years, and if anything happens, we have got to phone the police. Has a child got to get killed before they do anything?"

She said her eight-year-old daughter and other local children had made posters and leaflets appealing to drivers to slow down, and were delivering them door to door in Fenn Road.

"We would like 10mph signs or speed humps - at 5pm it's like the M1 here," she said.

She claimed the new estate was also putting pressure on drainage and sewage systems. "The street smells of sewage - we think a sewage pipe has been wrongly fed into a rainwater drain."

Barnsley Council said any speeding issues should be raised with South Yorkshire Police.

Cllr Roy Miller, cabinet spokesman, said: "While road safety remains a key priority for the council, we no longer have the funding available to finance physical traffic calming schemes, such as road humps.

"We will carefully monitor the area and if there does appear to be issues with speeding we will work with our police colleagues to address them.

"As to the sewerage and drainage, the new housing estate has been through the full planning process, which takes drainage into account.

"If people in the area identify specific issues they should report them to us via email at roads@barnsley.gov.uk or on 773555 and we will work with the responsible authority - be that ourselves, Yorkshire Water, or the developer - to sort them out."