RESIDENTS are celebrating after a pedestrian crossing was removed just two years after it was installed - because it made a road more dangerous.

Hartlepool Borough Council, which is facing cuts of almost £6m in the 2013/14 financial year, installed the crossing in Blakelock Gardens, Hartlepool, County Durham, in March 2011 at a cost of £40,000 in a bid to improve safety.

But after concerns for residents living near it, the crossing will be removed - at a further cost of £10,000 - after people living close by it complained that the road was safetr before the crossing was installed and that people were not using it.

Delighted householders say common sense has prevailed, but slammed the scheme as a waste of money in the first place.

Hartlepool Mayor Stuart Drummond, who said he was not involved in the original decision, said the crossing will be removed.

There are plans to introduce a 20mph speed limit plus other traffic calming measures, subject to consultation.

Mayor Drummond, portfolio holder for regeneration and neighbourhoods, said: "I’m sure the crossing was put in for good reason at the time and it was trying to solve a problem.

"We have tried it, but it does not seem to be working."

Residents told Mayor Drummond there had been four accidents in the street in the past year and that the road was safer before the crossing was there.

Self-employed ceramic tiler Peter McPherson, 54, of Blakelock Gardens, said: "It was a total waste of money in the first place, but they didn’t listen.

"We are just pleased it is being removed."