Villagers want a 40 mph speed limit introduced in the village

Villagers in Merrymeet, Cornwall, have dressed two straw-stuffed figures in police uniforms and armed them with a radar gun made from a plastic lunchbox and cup.

They came up with the idea as part of a campaign to reduce the current speed limit through the village from 60mph to 40mph.

The scarecrow police officers were made by Jackie Radcliffe, and her husband Peter, and they are proving a success.

Drivers come through here much too fast and the majority of people who cross the road are elderly Jackie Radcliffe

"People instinctively slow when they see the scarecrows and it is getting the message across that this is a dangerous stretch of road," said Mr Radcliffe.

The couple's front wall is still being rebuilt after a lorry crashed into it.

Mr Radcliffe, 54, said: "There are a couple of accidents every year at the crossroads, as well as countless near misses."

Mrs Radcliffe said villagers feared for the lives of residents, many of whom crossed the A390 road to the chapel and its hall.

Scarecrow stolen

"We did it for a bit of fun, but there was also a serious reason," she said.

"Drivers come through here much too fast and the majority of people who cross the road are elderly."

The first policeman the couple made for the village near Liskeard was stolen.

But Mrs Radcliffe explained: "We called Radio Cornwall and told them we had a missing person.

"But we came back with a vengeance. The thieves are not going to stop us, so we made two."

Devon and Cornwall Police said they welcomed any reduction in speeding.