Urchfont Parish Council has renewed its plea to get the speed limit at the entrances to the village lowered.

The council has tried several times without success to reduce the speed limit to 30mph on the B3098 but has asked Wiltshire Council again after it was lobbied by new resident John Wilks.

Mr Wilks, 87, lives at the western end of Urchfont where the speed limit is 50mph. At the eastern end (from Wedhampton) the speed limit is 60mph.

Mr Wilks, a retired chartered engineer, of Witchell Lane, said: “It’s a dangerous situation at both ends of the village. I’m amazed there have been no fatalities. Children have to cross the road. A lot of people have been striving to have 30mph limits.”

The parish council agrees that the speed limits should be reduced to 30mph up to the gateway signs in the village.

Parish council chairman Nicky Mitchell said: “We have been pushing to get the speed limit reduced to 30mph for several years. We have not been successful. It’s frustrating.

"Mr Wilks felt there was a big problem. He contacted Claire Perry MP and we had an onsite meeting with her. She supported our views. It’s a busy road and the 30mph limit should be further back at both ends of the village.”

Parish council clerk Bob Lunn said: “Community Speed Watch operates in the village and they have picked up a considerable number of vehicles that exceed 36 mph. We have had vehicles reported as going over 60mph in a 30mph zone.”

Philip Whitehead, Wiltshire councillor for Urchfont, also supports a 30mph limit but said Wiltshire Council officers had assessed Urchfont against government regulations for speed limits and had concluded that the existing limits were appropriate.

Wiltshire Council is instead going to extend footpaths on both sides of the B3098 at the Crooks Lane end of the village and create a coloured pedestrian crossing area across the road. A new pavement will also be built from Blackboard Lane to just past the entrance to Urchfont Manor.