A SENIOR councillor has warned that Swindon Council could face a corporate manslaughter charge if there was a fatal accident on any road where safety measures had been removed against officers' advice.

A motion to have the humps removed from roads in Covingham was denounced as "obscene" by Coun Stan Pajak (Eastcott), the Liberal Democrats' transport and environment spokesman.

And he gave notice that he was seeking legal advice to see "what legal charges could be levied against the council if a child is killed on Covingham roads" should the humps be taken away.

A spokesman for the group confirmed that it was feared the council was at risk from a corporate manslaughter charge should it enact the resolution.

Coun Pajak said: "It is obscene for the Tories to propose cuts to schools of half a million pounds or to close two nursing homes because the council is short of money, and then in the next breath waste £160,000 on road humps.

"Between January 1, 1998 and March 31, 2003, there were 65 road accident casualties on Covingham roads. Since the humps have been installed nine months ago, only one accident has been registered with the police.

"Installing the road humps in April last year cost £130,000. But to remove them and repair the roads would cost taxpayers another £30,000.

"Statistics show that the proportion of traffic exceeding the 30mph limit has been reduced from 90 per cent to 7 per cent over the past year."

Coun Pajak demanded that a decision should be delayed until the cross-party task group, which is currently reviewing road humps across the whole borough, presented its findings to the cabinet before May.

He was supported by Coun Teresa Page (Lab, St Philip), who said: "Removing these humps will turn this council into a firing squad. But we won't be using blanks. We'll be firing with live ammunition and a child's death will be the result." The call for dismantling of the humps came from councillors Glenn Smith (Con, Covingham and Nythe) and Garry Perkins (Shaw and Nine Elms). More than 2,000 residents of the Covingham area signed a petition calling for this controversial U-turn.

However, Coun Perkins said: "This motion was showing a respect for democracy. The people don't want the humps and feelings in the area have been running very strong against them.

"Of course we aren't advocating negligence and putting lives at risk.

"The idea is for the humps to be replaced with other more appropriate traffic-calming measures and only in Covingham Drive to begin with."

The original plan was to remove the humps in Kingfisher Drive and St Paul's Drive as well as Covingham Drive.

The proposal to remove the humps was carried by 28 votes to 23.

Julianne Mason, of Cheriton Close, Nythe, who has been at the heart of the nine-month residents' campaign for removal, commented: "We've fought a long time for this. It shouldn't be forgotten that many of these humps are illegal, having been made 90cms high when the height limit by law is 70cms.

"As long as something's done to keep down speed, I'm sure the majority of drivers can be re-educated so that risk levels are reduced to a minimum.

"Of course there will always be drivers who ignore whatever safety measures are in place.

"However, once the humps have gone, I think a few cosmetic improvements will do the trick, such as introducing speed sensors, like those on the Marlborough Road that flash warnings to drivers to hit their brakes instead of the accelerators."

Michael Litchfield