TO SEE flowers tied to a roadside lamp post conjures one thought in all who see them: sadness at the thought of a tragic death.

But in one case in Hove the thought is premature.

Two bouquets of fake lilies which have appeared on lamp-posts in a notorious rat-run have been placed there in the hope of avoiding a fatality rather than in memory of one.

St Leonards Road resident David Flack, 55, has been praised by fellow homeowners tired of watching cars and vans race down their 20mph street at dangerous speeds, as drivers try to avoid traffic on nearby Boundary Road.

Mr Flack said: “Earlier this year I had the idea of putting flowers on lampposts because that usually means someone has been killed.

“Then last week I saw these fake lilies in the window of the YMCA so I bought them, split them into two bunches and put them up, with a sign saying ‘slow down to 20mph’.”

He explained the traffic lights at the top and bottom of Boundary Road cause congestion which drivers avoid by using St Leonards Road.

He said: “We’ve got a lot of young families in the road and not long ago somebody asked the council if we could have traffic calming bollards installed but the request was refused.

“This idea was just a way of making people take notice and making people think.

“They went up on Wednesday and just today I’ve seen a van go past my window quite slowly which is very unusual.

“So perhaps it is working.

“So far at least nobody has had their child mowed down but it’s a risk so people have told me they think it’s a great idea.

“It really makes you think when you see it.

“It was the best £10 I’ve ever spent.”

Ward councillor Robert Nemeth said: “St Leonards Road is one of several unfortunate cut-throughs in my ward where motorists travel far in excess of 20mph, if not, 30mph. David’s solution is innovative to say the least. We’ll see how it goes.”

Fellow residents applauded the idea online.

Lucy Gray wrote, “Thanks, very tasteful David”, while Richard Williams said, “Hope the flowers make drivers think”.

Other concerned St Leonards Road parents are now working with their children to make eye-catching handmade signs which they hope will further draw drivers’ attention to the risks of excessive speed down the narrow street.