RESIDENTS of a busy Gorleston estate road still feel not enough is being done to combat hospital staff using their street as a rat run despite the erection of new signs.

Some even feel the two new blue signs- bearing the words ‘No access to hospital except for staff. Max height limit 2m’- at the bottom of Jenner Road will lead to more staff at the James Paget University Hospital using their road to get to work.

For nearly a year, the 40 residents have been campaigning for measures to be taken to stop motorists parking all day in their narrow road, causing congestion and making it very difficult for vehicles to get through.

They say staff race through early in the morning with loud music blaring from their cars to use the Jenner Road entrance and avoid traffic lights on the hospital’s main entrance on the A12.

And they believe the staff often park their cars outside Jenner Road homes to avoid paying charges to use the hospital car park.

The road was created when developer Persimmon Homes built the estate, known locally as the ‘Paget estate,’ but as yet the road has not been adopted by Norfolk County Council making it difficult to take action to alleviate the traffic situation.

A number of homeowners said the deeds to their houses said the road was intended for emergency vehicles only, but has since been used by all hospital staff.

Residents Barry and Amanda Cooper, 30 and 28 respectively, have lived in the road for 18 months and described the traffic problems as “horrific.”

Another resident Ivan Lees, 55, said the signs did seem to advertise the street as a way through for hospital staff, when it was intended for emergency vehicles only. He would like to see permit or restricted parking introduced.

Kevin Hughes, 56, believed the hospital should create an alternative entrance.

And Angus Smith, 68, said: “When the schools are open and there is traffic going back and forth to the hospital for the start of shifts, little children can’t see above the edge of the cars.”

He added his main concern was with hospital staff who parked in the street all day - he accepted that patients and visitors also parked there, but only for a short period of time.

Nobody from Norfolk County Council was available for comment.