Labour-run Lewisham Council have been accused of installing ‘socialist speed bumps’ in upmarket Blackheath, writes Frankie Hills…

Residents’ complaints noted how the newly refurbished speed bumps in Lee Terrace and Belmont Hill in Blackheath are predisposed to damaging the undercarriages of high-performance and luxury cars.

Architect Andrew Thorp, 59, told the Telegraph newspaper that he suffered significant damage to his Mercedes C-Class, which scraped the bumps on multiple occasions, prompting him to conduct the survey. He said: “We are paying for the bumps with our council tax, and then paying for the damage to our cars.

“It’s as if they are socialist speed bumps.” 

He said that it was exclusively more expensive vehicles such as Audi, Mercedes, Tesla’s that were disproportionately affected.

Steve Emmott, 67, also described at having to move along the road at a crawl along the street, claiming that when driving his Ferrari, he has to slow down to between 3-5 miles per hour before each hump. “If I try to straddle them, I will take the underside of my car out,” he stated.

Mr Thorp’s survey, allegedly found that 12 out of 15 of the speed bumps exceeded Lewisham Council’s own height limit. The specially ‘commission engineering survey’ also claimed that five of the bumps were between 100mm and 105mm, being far above the council’s 80mm standard.

However, the council has disputed these claims, saying the bumps comply with national regulation, with changes to the road being made several months ago to enforce new 20mph speed limits within the area.

However, it isn’t just motorists who have been complaining about the measures, Lewisham Cyclists have also voiced discontent. The group has warned the council that motorists could create severe danger for passer by, potentially cutting in front of riders to bypass them.

Yet, despite the disaffection from the community, a council spokesman said the bumps are within national guidelines and regulation meet the Department of Transports standards. However, the authority did acknowledge that 3 of the 15 near Bellmont Hill and Lee Terrace did require adjustments, which have since been corrected at the contractors expense.

Yet the council added that speed control is imperative in the area, given the proximity of Belmont Hill to a school and Lee Terrace to a hospital, saying this remained their priority.