Police to be asked to carry out traffic speed checks in Northumberland hamlet

Belford Parish Council is to ask Northumbria Police to carry out speed checks on vehicles passing through Middleton.

It has also supported a suggestion by Northumberland County Council for ‘slow’ signs to be painted on the road through the hamlet.

It follows a plea by residents, led by mum-of-two Victoria Mundy, for the current 60mph speed limit to be lowered.

Coun Julian Cunningham said: “I do have sympathy with the residents of Middleton. People do tear down there. I am quite staggered at some of the speeds I see people driving at.

“I can’t understand why it can’t be reduced to at least 40mph down there. There are plenty of other places in Northumberland where there is a short area of housing where speeds are reduced.”

Parish council chairman, Coun Guy Renner-Thompson, said: “I also have sympathy for the residents but the advice we’ve had from highways is that it wouldn’t make that much difference.

“I think we should start with ‘slow’ on the road and see if it makes a difference.”

Coun Kerry Noble added: “At least it shows the residents we are listening to them. Maybe we could ask for it to be reduced to 50mph and see if that makes a difference but you will still get the boy racers doing 70mph or 80mph.”

He also pointed out that it was a natural route from the A1 for drivers coming from the north or heading towards Berwick.

Coun Renner-Thompson said: “We could ask our new neighbourhood policing team to put a speed camera van there. They want us to tell them community issues and that is one of them.

“Like Julian says, there are other places in the county where there are small sections of 30mph.”

Last month, the county council explained that due to the very small number of properties it would not be normal to reduce the speed limit in this location. However, it agreed to carry out a speed survey and, depending on the results, look at other measures that could be put in place.