HUNDREDS of motorists continue to ignore the new speed limit at the site of the Oxford Eastern Bypass crash, just days before police cameras are set to be used.

About two cars every minute break the 50mph limit on the A4142 bypass, a check by The Oxford Times has found - a statistic condemned last night by the father of one of the four victims of the horrific 2005 crash.

Solar-powered safety signs were installed two weeks ago which warn speeding drivers to slow down if they are breaking the 50mph limit.

When we monitored one sign -close to the scene of the crash in which schoolboys Liam Hastings, Marshall Haynes and Josh Bartlett and 21-year-old Oxford Brookes University student Howard Hillsdon died in May 2005 - it was triggered 37 times and 58 times in two 30-minute periods.

Speed was not a factor in the crash, but the county council lowered the limit from 70mph to 50mph as a safety measure.

In total, about 14 per cent of drivers were travelling in excess of 52mph - fast enough to trigger the warning signs.

Police are to start using speed cameras at the site within days, but Dwayne Haynes, the father of Marshall Haynes, said: "I'm shocked at how many people are doing it, knowing what took place two years ago.

"In my mind, it's still very raw. I drive up there every day and there are cars hurtling past 30mph faster than me.

"If they have any common sense at all, they should keep to the speed limit, otherwise they will end up in a box like my son did. It's a dangerous stretch of road - that's why the speed limit is there."

Jane Barber, the mother of Josh Bartlett, said our findings did not surprise her.

She said it was now up to drivers to prevent further deaths and take responsibility for their own actions. She said: "I don't think we can do any more, it's down to the individual now. People can't be made more aware of the speed limits."

Thames Valley Police said they were aware of speeding on the bypass. A spokesman said: "We will shortly be conducting speed camera enforcement on this stretch of road and those detected travelling over the enforcement level will be dealt with appropriately."

He added: "Drivers need to take responsibility for their own safety, their passengers and other road users and stick to the legal limit on all roads, not just the Oxford Eastern Bypass. The limits are there for people's safety."

Richard Owen, of the Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership, said that once drivers were aware camera enforcement was taking pace, it would help tackle the problem of speeding.