Highways chiefs have performed a u-turn on speed humps meaning no more will be installed in Barnsley - because of their unpopularity.

Barnsley Council has also had to defend claims from some motorists who blamed them for causing damage to their vehicles.

Humps were installed across the borough over several years in a bid to slow down speeding motorists but many drivers claim they cause damage to their vehicles.

Some have tried to sue Barnsley Council for damages prompting the change in policy. As well as regular motorists they are also unpopular with the emergency services, said cabinet spokesman Coun Roy Miller

He said: "Because of all the trouble we are having with them, in that half the public want them and half the public don't, the council decided to stop them.

"The emergency services don't like them and a lot of people have been putting in claims against damage to their cars."

He said many of the claims came from youngsters who had lowered the suspension on their vehicles.

"We've always been able to defend against these because, if the vehicle is fit for MOT, it should be the right height," he said.

But mechanic Paul Braithwaite, 57, of Wilby Lane Garage, Barnsley, said he often works on cars with the kind of damage caused by speed humps, particularly in winter.

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