SPEEDING vehicles are a threat to safety, say villagers.

Meltham residents say vehicles - including buses - are driving too fast on narrow, residential streets.

Huddersfield University student Andria Wadsworth, 35, of Highfield Crescent, said the problem was particularly bad on the Highfield estate.

She said it had been going on for over a year.

Ms Wadsworth, who has two boys aged 14 and 15 and a girl of eight, said the limit on roads like hers should be lowered to 20mph.

She also said speed cameras could benefit the area.

She added: "The guideline that driving instructors give pupils when they are in built-up areas is to drive at 20mph. I drive and I can't understand why anyone would want to drive faster than that down a narrow street where there are kids."

Ms Wadsworth said she feared that a child could be killed or injured if a speeding vehicle could not stop in time.

She said she was particularly worried about the 933 First bus service, which takes passengers from Meltham's Safeway store and around the village.

She said the bus, which can be flagged down anywhere rather than having fixed stops, was a great idea - but it simply travelled too fast.

Ms Wadsworth said: "There are quite a lot of residents not happy about the speed of the buses."

A Kirklees Council spokes- woman said there were no plans to look at the speed limit or speed cameras. The 933 bus was a matter for residents and the bus company.

Richard Crankshaw, of bus company First, said the 933 drove at a speed appropriate to the narrow roads.

He added: "Highfields Crescent is a road which is narrow in sections, therefore 30 mph is not always possible.

"The perception of the speed of a larger vehicle such as a bus or truck is far greater than that of a car.

"But as the 933 is operated by a small rota of drivers we can ask the drivers to take extra care."

He said that if residents were worried about vehicle speeds in general they should contact Kirklees highways department or the police.