Flashing speed limit signs have gone up on a busy A-road as part of a £500,000 county-wide road safety programme.

Two electronic 60mph signs are now warning drivers they could be breaking the limit as they approach the A22 near Hailsham.

It follows a reduction in the speed limit on the busy stretch of dual-carriageway from 70mph to 60mph.

The signs, unveiled by East Sussex County Council transport councillor Matthew Lock, have been erected to allay concerns from householders about speeding drivers.

Coun Lock said: "The county council has listened to the residents' concerns and after talking to them and to the police we have been able to reduce the limit to 60mph.

"The new electronic signs are a reminder to drivers to slow down and we will be monitoring this stretch for six months to see if the signs make a difference.

"I am aware that some residents still have concerns about this stretch of road.

"I would like to hear their views. I would encourage them to contact the transport and environment department at County Hall in Lewes during the monitoring period.

"The county council is committed to visibly better roads, improving motorist and pedestrian safety, and these signs are just the beginning of a huge programme taking place across the county."

A total of 42 vehicle-activated signs, pedestrian crossings and safer crossing points are being installed in towns and villages across East Sussex at a cost of half a million pounds.

They are going up in areas where residents have highlighted fears about speeding traffic and unsafe roads.

All the signs are being put in place now and council officials predict all will be up and running by next month.

They include speed, bend and junction warnings, which are activated as vehicles drive towards them, and pedestrian crossings and safer crossing points are under construction at eight sites.

The flashing signs are the second major safety scheme on the A22 following the closure of gaps along the central reservation to cut the high crash record last year.

There were three serious and seven slight accidents between the A295/A22 Glen Eagle Roundabout and south of Summerhill Lane between July 2002 and February 2004.

But since April and November last year, the number of accidents has been reduced to one serious and two slight injury incidents.

Coun Lock said: "The county council is doing what it can to make the roads across the county safer but it is vital that motorists drive according to the conditions of the roads and, more importantly, keep within the speed limits."