TILFORD residents are primed for a legal campaign against Surrey County Council, for the removal or amendment of traffic calming measures they have condemned as an "act of vandalism on the village".
A meeting of the Restore Tilford Campaign Group agreed the appointment of a Guildford-based law firm, Stevens and Bolton, in their bid for action on the STAR traffic scheme.
They are now awaiting the outcome of a county council safety audit in September before any action is initiated, but have stated that they will resort to legal measures to resolve the situation if there are no satisfactory recommendations made by the council.
The measures which have been claimed as being dangerous by the campaign group include those around All Saints Junior School, which they believe impair visibility, unsuitable pinch points at the Tilford Institute turning, and traffic lights near the Barley Mow pub, which according to the group, creates undue congestion.
More than 500 signatures from dismayed villagers have been collected by campaign member Hazel Foulkes, wife of Waverley Borough councillor, Bernard Foulkes.
She said: "I am as angered as many people in the village, which is such a pretty place and one of the most photographed in England. These traffic measures are an eye-sore and so dangerous.
"I started a petition on the issue as so many people were of the opinion that the measures should be modified."
She felt that Surrey's County Council's safety audit in September would be helpful, and that an amicable settlement with the council would be clearly preferable.
Mrs Foulkes believed the county council had themselves recognised that the traffic calming measures were "not the success they hoped for" and they were aware that feelings within the village were "running high" on the issue.
John Wilson, governor of Tilford's Waverley Abbey School, who has organised the action group, believed that legal action was viable in this case as the traffic calming measures had been placed in a designated conservation area.
He said: "Our position is that the initiative by the highways department of Surrey County Council has neither enhanced the special character of the village, nor improved road safety.
He stated that the group had made the council aware of their retaining lawyers on the issue, and that if "whatever they do still ruins the village, creating unnecessary urbanisation and danger to villagers, we will be taking them to court."
Graham Hodgson, Waverley Borough engineer, stated that there had been a considerable consultation process with the parish council, and the scheme had been designed to "parameters that are based on national usage."
He added: "The scheme still has a number of adjustments to be totally completed, there are two main areas, treatment of footways by the green, and improvement of some of the road markings, which is currently under discussion."
Mr Hodgson said he would take into consideration any comments received resulting from the safety audit next month.
The Restore Tilford Campaign Group is being legally represented by Ms Janet Waine,from Stevens and Bolton, who confirmed that documentation on the case is being researched.