A community road campaign urging drivers to kill their speed - not villagers - in Sidbury has received financial support from the county’s head of highways.

Councillor Stuart Hughes has announced he will spend some of his locality budget on a new speed check survey along Cotford Road.

It follows the launch of a campaign by members of the community concerned about cars breaking the 20mph and 30mph limits.

The check will run 24 hours-a-day for a week monitoring vehicles travelling in both directions.

The last survey was carried out in June 2011 and showed the average speed of vehicles was 27mph.

Cllr Hughes said, alongside the survey, it was ‘very important’ to set up a community speed watch group to assist with recording any problems on the road. He added: “If there is anything we can do, we will. The first thing they need to do is set up a community speed watch and get six or more people together and have training by the police to use the equipment. I am quite happy to fund, from my locality budget, the equipment they need to carry this out.

“We will also provide permanent signs at either end of the speed watch area - these also contribute towards the enforcement of the speed limit as drivers are unaware as to when or where the community team are operating from.”

He agreed that Sidbury WI’s idea of a speed-activated sign could also have an effect lowering speed of vehicles, but would have to be funded locally.

Following the completion of the survey and data analysis, representatives from the town and district council, the WI, police and officers from the highways and road safety team would be invited to a meeting to discuss possible options.

Cllr Hughes also said the number of vehicles driving through Sidbury had decreased according to Department for Transport figures.

He said: “This further information, which indicates that the daily flow of traffic through Sidbury isn’t increasing, but, in fact, decreasing, and concerns expressed re HGV’s is extremely low, with just over one an hour in a 24-hour day.”

Campaigners will launch their ‘kill your speed, not villagers’ campaign with public meetings on Wednesday, April 25, at 2pm and 7pm, in Sidbury Village Hall.