POLICE are targeting speeding drivers on a busy road which has claimed the lives of two people in the last three years.

Since 2001, there have been 28 reported accidents on Bolton Road, Radcliffe, resulting in 40 casualties, including the two fatalities.

Police set up mobile speed traps on Monday, a move which was immediately welcomed by local people and even some drivers. It was also backed by Mr David Jones, whose teenage daughter died after an accident on Bolton Road on February 27.

Inspector Brian Wood, road safety officer for Greater Manchester Police, said: "While we were launching the campaign on Monday morning, drivers and residents actually came over to show their appreciation. This is something that the people that live around here want to see.

"This is an area that has been identified by the local authorities and the community as a place of concern over speeding vehicles. We are running a fortnight-long campaign across Greater Manchester, which includes Bolton Road. We will be trying to raise people's awareness of the area and encouraging drivers to slow down. Officers with mobile cameras will be seen along the stretch of road during this period.

"We want people to recognise the heartache that speeding can cause, and think about the families of people who have died."

Fifteen-year-old pedestrian Natalie Danielle Pickwick-Jones, of Olsberg Close, Radcliffe, died after she was in collision with a Toyota MR2.

Her father said he supported any action to slow traffic on the road. He said: "I have felt for a few months now that there should be speed cameras permanently on this road with it being so dangerous.

"I would support any work that is done in Bolton Road to cut the speed of cars. The drivers need to realise when they are speeding that they can ruin lives and create so much upset."

The town's area board has passed plans for traffic calming measures to be introduced, including warning signs, hatched markings and Textureflex surfacing. Pedestrian refuges have also been installed along the stretch.

Under the Department for Transport guidelines, speed enforcement is allowed at so-called "community concern sites". This is where a location does not meet the Government's criteria for action, but where the local community has requested enforcement and a speeding problem has been identified.