Council rejects request for lower speed limit in Northumberland hamlet

Belford Parish Council had called for the speed limit through Middleton to be reduced from 60mph following an accident when a car crashed into a wall.

However, Northumberland County Council has responded that ‘a 30mph speed limit is not possible as it will not meet the necessary criteria given insufficient frontage development’.

Instead, it will arrange for ‘slow’ markings to be put on the road as soon as possible and will consider a request from local residents on whether nameplate signs at both ends of the hamlet would be appropriate.

Cllr Julian Cunningham said: “I have quite a lot of sympathy for the people of Middleton because I have seen people tear through there. I think it should be 40mph there.

"We’re just waiting for a fatality to happen really and then the county council will have to decide what to do about it.

"I think we should lobby the county council to do more for them. It’s not just about ‘slow’ signs. It’s about doing anything else we can to reduce the speed there.

"There are people there with children, there’s a bus stop and we’ve got a big hole in the wall where someone went through.”

Cllr Guy Renner-Thompson, parish council chairman and local county councillor, added: “I think we should just keep pushing and asking and perhaps do a bit of work ourselves to look at the rules.

"I’ve compared it to Swinhoe at Beadnell because there aren’t that many houses there and it’s got a 30mph limit.”

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