A PACKED meeting of Nailsea Town Council saw residents living in country lanes come out in force to campaign for safer roads in their area.

On March 30, more than 30 people from the hamlet of West End attended the meeting to ask for a 30mph speed limit and a weight restriction to be introduced along West End Lane, Netherton Wood Lane, Nailsea Wall Lane and Nailsea Moor Lane.

West End resident Bob Williams said: “Our aim is to reduce the speed and volume of traffic, especially HGVs, and to maintain the farming and livery business and rural way of life in and around the hamlet of West End.

“There have been a number of road traffic accidents, walls have been demolished, horses and riders have been injured, and farmers are unable to move their animals along the lanes.”

Another resident, Julia Miners, said: “Lots of people have tried to do this individually. We are here as a group and we are all really determined to try to get something changed.”

It is believed the use of sat navs could be to blame for the increased number of large lorries travelling through West End to and from the M5.

Nailsea Town Council resolved to contact North Somerset Council to ask for a 30mph speed limit to be introduced along the four roads and for the necessary measures to be implemented to prevent vehicles heavier than seven-and-a-half tonnes using them.

The West End residents were also advised to contact Nailsea Local Action Team to ask if the group’s speed guns could be used to record the speed of vehicles using the lanes.

During the meeting, a petition with 90 signatures was also handed to the town council.

North Somerset Council’s highways officer Frank Cox was at the meeting.

He explained that the authority is carrying out a programme of speed limit reviews, starting with A roads, but that it is unlikely it will get to country lane level for a long time, if ever, due to the fact funding from central Government has been halved.

He said the only way North Somerset Council could consider altering the speed limit was if an accident occurred in which someone was injured.