A scheme to cut speed on a notorious stretch of road dubbed a death-trap ground to a halt because of police objections, a councillor claimed today.

In the past 18 months, seven lives have been lost in accidents on Woodhall Road in Calverley.

Last Friday night two men died after a car ploughed into a wall outside Woodhall Hills Golf Club. Police are still appealing for witnesses to the crash which happened at about 10.30pm.

Kelly Nicholas Rhodes, 28, of Thornfield Place, Eccleshill, who was driving a Vauxhall Cavalier, died shortly after the accident, and his passenger Christopher John Holgate of Propsect Grove, Shipley, died on Saturday in Leeds General Infirmary.

Tory councillor Amanda Carter (Pudsey North), who was first on the scene of the crash, said more tragedies could be averted if police agreed on a reduced speed limit.

She claimed long-awaited traffic-calming plans reached stalemate earlier this year because police objected to introducing a 40mph speed limit on the currently unrestricted one-mile stretch of road.

She claimed police were not happy with 40mph suggested by ward councillors and were instead pushing for 50mph - just 10mph lower than cars can travel at the moment.

Chief Inspector John O'Neil, of West Yorkshire Police, said there was a meeting in May between police and local councillors and that while the police fully supported most of the proposals from highways, there were "some queries over certain aspects" which needed to be discussed further.

He said one of those "aspects" was setting an appropriate speed limit but he refused to say what the police's preferred restriction would be.

Coun Carter said: "This latest tragedy on Woodhall Road has touched the whole village because we all know that it could be any one of us next. It's not just drivers, it's pedestrians too who are at risk because of speeding cars.

"It's sickening to have to keep saying I told you so, that more lives would be lost, but that's exactly what's happened and more tragedies will happen unless the police agree a speed limit with us and it's introduced as soon as possible." A spokesman for Leeds City Council said a workable traffic calming scheme had been ready since March - except for police concerns.

Councillor Gerry Harper, executive member for highways, acknowledged police concerns remained over what the exact speed limit should be, but said there would be a meeting to resolve the issue soon. Anyone with information about the latest crash is asked to contact police on (0113) 2414895.