The signs will indicate to approaching motorists what speed they are travelling at so they can adjust their speed if necessary.

The road safety measure was set up by Louth County Council.

They have already been introduced at Knockbridge where Cllr Declan Breathnach had been pressing for some time to have the signs introduced.

"I watched them closely on the Continent," Cllr Breathnach said, "and they certainly do encourage people to slow down.

"The sign shows what speed you are approaching at. It flashes your speed and cancels out after a certain speed, so it can't be abused by joy riders or others.

"It also takes a traffic count which can indicate to gardai what the peak traffic times are.

"Ideally you would like to have more, but the great advantage is that they can be moved around to different villages.

"And research has shown that it does slow people down, so that is a good thing."

Councillor Breathnach put up €2,000 euro of his own council money towards the cost of the signs and hopes that eventually they will feature in every village in mid-Louth.

Cllr Jim Lennon has welcomed the new signs at Louth Village.

"They have proved to be a great success at Knockbridge," said Cllr Lennon. "Nobody is going to be fined. It's not a speed camera.

"But it does make motorists aware of what speed they are doing and research has shown that people do slow down because of the signs. And that's a good thing."