A neighbour living next to a controversial width restriction in Watford says frequent crashes have left him with enough debris to set up a car scrap yard.

Drive shaft ball bearings, an entire wheel and body panels are just some of the items collected by Barry Felton in Woodmere Avenue after vehicles fall foul of the narrow posts.

The 65-year-old has swept up broken mirrors, headlights and bits of bumpers as cars relentlessly clip, bash and crash into the tight traffic-calming obstacle.

Professional umpire Mr Felton said: “I’m just fed up – I might as well become a scrap yard for car parts.

“In the 33 years since they first put in the restriction I know of three crashes that happened before February (when the restriction was rebuilt).

“How the councillors can justify the number of crashes that take place here every week now, I have no idea – it is not safe.”

During a thirty minute site visit between 12.30pm and 1pm today, the Watford Observer witnessed eight vehicles driving through the central bus lane to avoid the steel corridor.

Several cars missed the battered posts by just fractions of a centimetre, while one driver launched into a four-letter tirade, describing the design as "ridiculous".

Last month it was revealed that of 73 complaints made to Hertfordshire Highways about width restrictions across the county since February 25, 69 related to Woodmere Avenue.

Crashes on Saturday and Monday this week, in which cars had to be recovered from the scene, meant the emergency services have been called out on at least 12 occasions to the site.

Meanwhile, a self-employed plumber who twice damaged his car on the posts joined calls for action at the accident black spot today.

Father-of-one Russell Sumby caused £1,100 of damage to his work van after catching one of the steel posts earlier this year.

Having saved enough money to pay for the damage outright, rather than push up his insurance premium, the 42-year-old clipped the same side coming through last week.

He said: “It is absolutely scandalous – the councillors are burying their head in the sand. I wasn’t going too fast. I was absolutely gutted - I don’t have £1,000 to fork out for my van.

“A little bit of common sense is needed. I want the council to contribute to the cost and I’m going to look at legal action. We pay money for the council to make our road safe but they are making it more dangerous.”

Despite numerous complaints, Hertfordshire County Council, Watford Mayor Dorothy Thornhill and MP Richard Harrington have all publicly stated there is no problem with the restriction, which meets the legal criteria of being seven feet wide.