Speed humps that were once branded "stupid" by Jeremy Clarkson are set to be replaced – but some residents say they would rather see them removed entirely.

The TV presenter made the comments about the calming measures in Ulley Road and The Street in Kennington in 2014 when he was staying nearby at Eastwell Manor.

He told his Twitter followers: “People of Ulley Road, in Ashford, Kent. With all those stupid speed humps, I hope you never need an ambulance.”

Clarkson was staying in the borough while filming a feature for Top Gear at Lydd Ranges.

His comment was retweeted by 850 people and liked 1,800 times.

Sixteen sets of speed humps were introduced more than 18 years ago by Kent County Council (KCC) to prevent speeding in the road, which has two schools on it, residential homes and Kennington Cricket Club.

But since then they have fallen into a state of disrepair with chunks missing and metal rods sticking out.

KCC has now promised to repair them while carrying out resurfacing works on the 30mph stretch in the coming months.

While most agree they need to be upgraded, Robin Beresford, who has lived in The Street for 50 years, says he would rather see the back of them.

“I have been trying to get the things removed since the day they were put in,” the 83-year-old said.

“We never wanted them, we asked for a reduced speed limit, not this.

“They’re wrecking my house which is Grade II-listed because when big lorries go over them my whole house shakes.

“Cracks have appeared, tiles have broken on the roof, the whole structure shakes so badly.

“It’s like having an earthquake every hour of the day and night.

“I am in favour of slowing traffic down but this is not the way to do it.”

Instead, Mr Beresford would like a 20mph speed limit enforced or even speed cameras as he feels this will be more efficient.

However some business bosses nearby believe the humps are a good thing.

Jeff Hacker, joint owner of The Kennington Carvery in Ulley Road, said: “"They’re a pain when you’ve got to go over them all the time but I'm generally in favour of the bumps.

"They do what they’re designed to do but they are very poor so I think it's good they're replacing them.

"With the school here nearby, it does become very busy along this road and it's a way of slowing people down."

Michelle Krawczyk, a governor at Downs View Infants School, says the issue of safety along Ulley Road at pick-up and drop-off times is one she has been tackling since joining the governing board in 2019.

“I support any actions the councils take to make the roads around the school safer for our pupils and their families,” she said.

“Unfortunately, I fear replacing the current calming measures, which don’t actually reduce the speed along the roads, with a similar design, will not achieve safer roads for our community.

“While we have concerns about road safety throughout the entire area surrounding the school, the situation along Ulley Road is one of our greatest concerns.

“During school drop-off and collection times, the section of Ulley Road from its intersection with Church Road and extending to Upper Vicarage and then beyond towards the Cricket Club, becomes lined with cars parked for the school drop-off and collection.

“Vehicles end up speeding down this road in order to make it through the choke point created by parked cars before an oncoming car appears.”

A spokesman for Kent County Council said the authority expects the work will be completed later this spring.

“We are mainly carrying out these repairs to renew the road surface,” he said.

“While we’re there, we’re going to be renewing the speed cushions as they are worn.”

But Ms Krawczyk said: “If the council is only planning on replacing the existing measures, then I don’t feel we will end up with a safer situation for our community – which is really unfortunate and a missed opportunity to make a positive change.

“The school has argued for and requested the council look into creating a zebra crossing on Ulley Road in order to create a safer crossing for our families and pupils.”