Back in 2017, Jean Brooks from Hucknall went viral after a video was released of her trying to slow down vehicles speeding down her road. The retired grandmother wasn't holding up a speed camera, though, instead pointing a hairdryer from her garden in an attempt to spook drivers into sticking to the speed limit.
She says cars often slowed down in St Mary's Way as a result of her unconventional tactics. A video of her went viral, and Ms Brooks told Nottinghamshire Live five years ago: “I remembered a friend told me about something she had heard of in France.
“Someone got their hairdryer and pointed it at the cars and they slowed down. So I thought I’ll do that. They come up on their scooters and quad bikes showing off to the sixth form girls, acting like a male bird of paradise. It’s all, ‘look no hands’ but it will soon be ‘look, no teeth’.
Notts village ranked '2nd worst place to live in country' - read more here
“One of my daughters called me up and said I’d gone viral. I thought ‘I don’t have a virus’ but she told me what she meant. My grieving daughter has seen it and it made her laugh. I’ve made my road safer for kids and I’ve made my grieving daughter smile. You can't put a price on that.”
So, five years on, we took a trip to St Mary's Way to learn if Ms Brooks' efforts had paid off long term - or if residents there still had trouble with speeding cars. The first thing neighbours told us is that she no longer lived at her old house and had since moved away, meaning no vehicles had been getting the hairdryer treatment in recent months.
"They are lunatics driving down this road," said one resident, who believed the problem hadn't gone away. "If you stand here for long enough you will see someone going past at a ridiculous speed. I've seen some cars reach what must be around 80mph. It's amazing that nobody has been killed."
Hilary Clark, who has lived in the area since 1975, told Nottinghamshire Live: "There is a speed limit here but a lot of cars don't stick to it. It's the fault of the drivers, it's their responsibility to drive properly. We have a lot of families round here."
Joan Wilson, who also lives on St Mary's Way, said: "I must say, I have got a dog and it does really worry me how fast people go down here. There are quite a lot of schools around here and it's dangerous."
Another resident who wished to remain anonymous said: "I have only just moved here, but I have noticed how fast people go along here and it's not safe. I know there used to be the woman who would stand outside with a hairdryer but I don't think she lives here anymore."
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