COMPANY car drivers are used to seeing numerous different roadside signs but now a sign warning them they being watched by police helicopter patrols is being piloted on a stretch of road in Derbyshire which has claimed at least 17 lives.

in a bid to cut the number of accidents on the road, the scheme has been launched by the Highways Agency and Derbyshire Police on a 31-mile stretch of the A6 between Belper and Buxton, which is directly under the flight path of the police helicopter.

Speed limits were reduced on the road after research revealed there had been 429 accidents between Derby and Chapel-en-le-Frith between April 1, 1995 and March 31, 1998. Of those, 17 were fatal, 81 caused serious injury and 331 slight injuries.

Highways Agency chief Peter Nutt said: 'The A6 in Derbyshire has a high number of collisions, especially during the summer months. Many of these can be attributed to drivers and riders behaving erratically or travelling at excessive speeds. The signs will inform road users they are being observed from the air and should therefore drive appropriately and safely.'

The Agency is hoping to put 20 signs up at a dozen locations during the summer months. They will be covered up for the rest of the year. The scheme, which is being run for two summers, will be combined with the helicopter's other duties.