A COUPLE who took the law into their own hands to slow down traffic have been branded the 'worst parkers ever'.

The pair from Headington Quarry, who wish to remain anonymous, left their car in Beaumont Road in an attempt to deter drivers from reaching speeds of up to 70mph.

But their act of defiance sparked anger with some of the community, and on Thursday night a vandal wrapped the car in cling film with the message "worst parking ever".

The woman said: "Our road has become a rat-run for commuters, but unlike Walton Street, Lime Walk or parts of Old Marston there are no traffic calmers or any means of slowing people down.

"We are next to one of the busiest bypasses in the country and, as a result, people are speeding down our road much faster than they should be. It's really dangerous.

"We quite legally parked our car on our road to make a stand and to prove the point that people should not be driving so fast down such a narrow road."

The location of the car means drivers are forced to slow down and wait for oncoming traffic instead of having a free run down the road.

The man said: "This road is a 20mph zone and off-limits to heavy good vehicles, but the laws are just ignored.

"We have two young children and it's not safe for them to be out on a road where cars are going so fast and, in some places, mounting the kerb.

"The car has been subjected to quite a bit of damage since it's been out there, including a dent, but although it's lost me money, I'm happy to pay the price if it'll improve the situation."

County councillor for the area Roz Smith backs the couple's crusade for safety.

She said: "What they've done is created their own traffic calmer and it seems to be working – lots of residents say they want speed measures installed in the area.

"Quite frankly, this part of Oxford should have been included in the Access to Headington plans but it has been completely ignored.

"Perhaps if it had been included, this wouldn't have happened."

Richard Bradley from Friends of Headington Quarry said the group would support the addition of traffic calming measures to improve safety.

He said: "We've always had a lot of problems with this in Headington Quarry. The installation of staggered parking would go some way to prevent speeding."