SUSPENSION-crunching speed humps have made Honley a no-go area for some motorists, it was claimed today.
The bumps along Westgate were made higher following demands from residents.
But so severe were the changes, some cars have been unable to get through the village at all.
Kirklees Council workmen are now making the gradient on to two of the high levels more gentle.
Lorry drivers from Honley-based haulage company T & G Moorhouse said they are the highest humps they have ever seen.
The company's finance director Mrs Josie Galloway said that she had a new title - air traffic controller.
"They are so severe we are airborne."
She added: "They are exceptional. We have never seen anything like it. They are calming them now so they are a bit better, but not a lot."
Repeated impact, she said, could damage a vehicle's axle and steering.
"It was like running into a brick wall the step-up was so big."
Cars had been scraped underneath.
She added: "I know ambulances have had trouble."
Describing it as a fiasco, she asked how much it was costing Council Tax payers.
"They have spent thousands putting them in and more money getting them right."
Some drivers are bypassing Westgate altogether. The centre of the village has been closed down on two Sundays to allow council workmen to carry out adjustments to the humps.
"If they get any higher you're going to need crampons and a rope," joked one 62-year-old male resident. "I know one chap with a three-wheeler who can't go through the village any more."
Over the past few days, pedestrians have now become accustomed to the sound of scraping metal as cars bottom out leaving the bumps.
Martin Noble, of Brockholes, commented: "Just what is the point in wasting public money on building the wretched things when materials and time could be better spent on repairing our roads which are the worst in Britain?"
A Kirklees Council spokeswoman said: "We had a petition from local people saying the humps weren't effective enough. It looks like the result was a little too high."
