WARNING signs are being put up to try and stop people from driving illegally into the pedestrianised and private zones of Bourne End marina.

Action is being taken after residents said they are fed-up with people parking in the marina when they are not supposed to and driving too quickly in the pedestrianised area.

Wooburn and Bourne End Parish Council, Paul Osbourne manager of the marina and housing developer Michael Shanley, which has built many of the luxury homes that overlook the marina, are collectively working on behalf of the residents to tackle the problem.

They are working with Buckinghamshire County Council's highways authority to get a new five-miles-an-hour sign put up in the pedestrianised area which begins after the railway crossing at the bottom of Wharf Lane.

Cllr David Paul, chairman of the planning committee, said: "People are still driving down it even though they should not be.

"They are driving down it because they do not realise it is a footpath.

"It's partly restricted to people using boats and it's getting very crowded very quickly.

"They need something that makes it very obvious that it's a pedestrian zone."

Mr Paul said that he is talking to highways about it after the council voted in favour of putting up a new warning sign at its meeting earlier this month.

Mr Osbourne said that the area is just an access road to the houses and the marina.

He said: "They are clearly defined footpaths.

"It's just that some people have shown some concern. People just walk in the road and so I think some people are a bit concerned. But no one's been hurt. I'm not concerned but obviously safety is always paramount.

"We are talking to the sign company now. When we put the new sign up there will be a new speed limit of five miles an hour."

Other suggestions to encourage drivers to abide with the law have been made, although so far there are no concrete plans.

They include pedestrianising the area from Oakfield Road to the corner of Wharf Lane to stop drivers earlier on and making Wharf Lane a one-way system.