But, despite what drivers think, 82-year-old Mr. Tom Marshall is not offering a good morning welcome on St. Michael's Road -- he's telling them to slow down.

Mr. Marshall has become tired of speeding traffic on the narrow, snaking road and fears there could be an accident unless the traffic is slowed.

But through a mixture of confusion and rudeness drivers have ignored his calls on a stretch of the road which narrows close to the sharp bend on the way to Gilbert Institute.

Mr. Marshall said: "I have been going outside my house since Christmas, every day and night.

"I have a whistle and I wave my hands. I just tell the people to slow down or stop because it is a bad road and a bad corner.

"But most of them take no notice. In fact, many of them speed up just to annoy me, especially the teenagers.

"I know how to drive. I used to drive an ambulance. A lot of the people on the road today have no idea how to drive their cars or bikes.

"It is dangerous and I do not want to see any accidents. There were a couple of people killed some years ago. We do not want a repeat of that.'' One motorist, Mrs. Heather Matthews, was full of praise for Mr. Marshall.

Mrs. Matthews passes him while taking her son to school each day.

"I think it is quite interesting that he would spend a lot of his time directing the traffic so that the children can get to school safely,'' she said.

"It is a blind bend and a lot of people do speed around there suddenly to be faced with cars coming in the opposite direction.'' Mr. Marshall has also complained to the Government asking for action to be taken to stop the speeding traffic, but he says nothing has been done.

He admits that some people have mistaken him for another Johnny Barnes, but, he added: "They do not realise that I am trying to protect them.'' SLOW DOWN! -- Mr. Tom Marshall warns motorists to slow down outside his home in Paget.