'THREE seconds to buckle up. Dead is forever.'

'Better late … Than never. Slow Down.'

These are the messages faced by motorists travelling on the Rock Ferry By-Pass – one of Wirral's busiest roads – urging people to wear seatbelts and drive safely.

The signs, which adorn two of the bridges above the road in Birkenhead, have been described by one Merseyside resident as the region's "most sinister".

Matthew Evans, who was travelling to Bebington when he noticed the signs last week, said he thought they were the "most sinister" he had seen in Merseyside.

He said: "They look like a good tool in making people drive carefully along the road and I'm sure they do a good job – but I was definitely taken aback by how drastic the message was. [They are] certainly the most sinister I’ve seen in Merseyside."

But Wirral Council said the safety messages – which have been in place for eight years – convey ‘important’ safety messages.

A spokesman said: "Since they were put up eight years ago, these signs have conveyed important road safety messages for motorists travelling along a very busy route – and they continue to do so."