A desperate dad has pleaded for the authorities to do something about traffic in his village after they removed a set of humourous signs he made to stop drivers speeding.

Father-of-three Kirk Wells was forced into drastic measures after he says Essex Highways refused to address the speeding problem in New Lane, Feering, and the surrounding roads.

Mr Wells’ three teenage sons walk the roads twice a day to get to and from the school bus stop, along with a handful of other children from the area.

He said: “It is an accident waiting to happen, a couple of weeks ago a child was hit by a car – luckily they were not seriously hurt.

“I heard about that and I realised I had to do something or I would not be able to sleep at night if something worse happened.”

Taking matters into his own hands, Mr Wells surveyed residents, before designing a selection of A2 size posters featuring humourous captions and images, including one saying: “Don’t be a Muppet, slow down” with a picture of Kermit and Fozzie Bear.

The businessman then put these posters at a few particularly dangerous spots throughout the village.

Mr Wells said: “They were a bit comical, influenced by a story I saw about a place in Norfolk.

“I put them all up with the help of my children and it was well received in the area and I thought there was a need for a few more.

“Around two weeks ago just before the snow I put out the second batch. They were a little bit more visible and I went bigger with A1 size paper.”

Despite considerable support from residents, when he left his home last Thursday morning, Mr Wells found all of the posters had been removed.

He added: “I am gobsmacked that someone would go out of their way to remove them.

“It is not like I am advertising a strip club - these were signs to make the roads safer for children.”

Braintree Council said it had received a request from Essex County Council to remove the signs, as prior approval had not been given.

A spokesman said: “Braintree Council has an agreement with them to remove all unapproved signs.

“While we appreciate the good intentions of the member of public who put together a series of driver warning signs in the village, these need to be approved by Essex County Council first.”

Mr Wells has vowed to reinstall the signs on private property in Feering, and has promised to continue the fight until the speeding issue in the village is addressed.

Essex County Council said it had been made aware of residents’ concerns over safety.

A spokesman said: “We would recommend he contacts his local county councillor and asks them to take the matter to the Braintree Local Highway Panel.

“The panel is able to decide whether to carry out a traffic speed survey along the road, to formally establish if there is a need for further speed measures on the road.”