A BORDERS mum believes her village has become a “death trap” because of speeding motorists.

Lisa Davidson, 37, lives in Stow with her husband and their three children (aged five, three and one).

But Mrs Davidson says the A7 through the village has become busier since a section of the A68 was closed for repairs.

She told the Border Telegraph that speeding is a major issue, adding: "It's only a matter of time before somebody is really hurt, or worse, and this is what's really scaring a lot of the residents in and surrounding Stow village."

Since the A68 near Fala was damaged by severe weather earlier this month, drivers have been diverted along the A7 – resulting in more traffic passing through Stow.

"It's just scary," said Mrs Davidson. "The sheer volume of traffic – the mixture of vans, HGVs, more cars – and the speed of the vehicles that come flying through the village."

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Although Mrs Davidson accepts that speeding through Stow is “nothing new”, she feels the problem has become worse in recent weeks.

"We're not saying don't commute, we're just asking [drivers] to be more careful and diligent going through villages and built-up areas," said Mrs Davidson.

"The problem we don't understand is why there was no contingency plan, why weren't speed cameras or traffic calming measures or more police presence [implemented]?

"They knew this was going to happen, so why are there not safety measures in place?"

Mrs Davidson said another parent, who lives on the Lauder Road, has experienced some "near misses".

Border Telegraph:

Above: Mum-of-three Lisa Davidson, of Stow, fears for villagers' safety

She said: "There's a lady who lives up the Lauder Road, which has a weight restriction on it now, which is being ignored.

"She's had her bins taken away from the end of her drive, she's had to actually physically grab children out of the way or they're going to get hit.

"This is a regular occurrence, especially during morning drop-off when the traffic's at its worst.

"She's had a few near misses – her children are really, really scared.”

Mrs Davidson added: "A lot of the children are scared, a lot of the children are not cycling or using their scooters to school anymore because it's [traffic] just too fast and too scary."

Councillor Sandy Aitchison, who represents Galashiels and District, says he knows speeding through Stow is a problem.

He told the Border Telegraph he has "witnessed accidents many times over the years” in the area.

"I was up on the Stow to Lauder road on Friday and spent an hour watching dreadful examples of bad and downright dangerous driving on an unfenced road," said Mr Aitchison.

"Again traffic volumes are huge because of the A68 problem.

"I know the police and council are doing what they can to increase surveillance in the village and I support them and residents in their actions to make this village safer."

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Road policing officers in the Lothians and Scottish Borders have increased patrols along the entire diversion and are monitoring any issues caused by the increased numbers of vehicles using the roads.”

Scottish Borders Council (SBC) has announced plans to roll out 20mph limits across the region, replacing 30mph limits in 80 communities.

This newspaper asked Mrs Davidson if she thinks a reduced speed limit will help make Stow safer.

She said: "It's great in theory, but we can't adhere to a 30mph speed – why is a driver going to listen to 20mph?

"I don't understand how that's going to make any difference – I don't think it will make any difference."