VILLAGERS near Pershore could be closer to having a long-awaited speed limit lengthened on a main road.

For years, Defford Parish Council has been pressing for the limit on the A4104 to be extended as far as its junction with the road to Strensham.

Although the route is sparsely populated, it is busy and villagers are concerned vehicles travel at high speed along it.

There is a 30mph limit through the village and the parish council would like a 50mph limit imposed from where it ends to the Strensham junction.

Past attempts at persuading the county council to approve an extra limit have drawn a blank. Highway officers have said the population is too isolated and scattered for the limit to have any appreciable effect.

But new rules at County Hall, which came into being last month, allow elected members to bring forward schemes of this type without direct reference to highways officials.

County Councillor Adrian Hardman plans to do just that.

"There are arguments on both sides for this scheme," he said. "But the parish has a point. I'll be utilising the new regulations to bring this forward at the first opportunity and will be pressing the case.

"The great question is should a new limit be imposed, would it ever be enforced?

"But even if 80 per cent obeyed it, that would be a great improvement.

There are 17 residents along this stretch of road, along with two pubs and a church. There's no doubt that a speed limit would be beneficial to them.

"Under the old system, you could lobby as hard as you wanted, but if the head of the highways wasn't keen, then it was unlikely to go though. Now, things are different."