SPEED limits on two roads  are set to be reduced to a 30mph speed limit, but campaigners are still calling for a stretch of the A353 to be reduced to 40mph.

As previously reported, residents of Osmington have been calling for the speed limit on the main road on either side of the village to be reduced.

The call came after three different car crashes happened on the road in the space of eight days in October.

Local Councillor Nick Ireland has been campaigning for speed limits in the village to be reduced and said it was his "aspiration" for the A353 to become a 40mph zone.

Cllr Ireland confirmed that following a recent traffic survey, Dorset Council has agreed to reduce speed limits on two roads which lead to Osmington Mills (Mills Road) and the unnamed road to Upton and Ringstead.

The small roads theoretically come under the national speed limit of 60mph, but the new plans would see Mills Road become 30mph and the road to Upton and Ringstead become either 30mph or 40mph.

He said: "Only last week I was in an email conversation with Dorset Council about implementing all the proposed changes in and around Osmington under one Traffic Regulation Order sometime early next year.

"The good news is that following a recent traffic survey, it seems DC have now agreed to reduce the speed limits on both the Osmington Mills and Upton/Ringstead roads to 30mph as well in the package. 

"The speed on roads should match the speed at which traffic travels on it.

"We conducted a speed survey in Upton and found most people are driving 30mph or slower so it shouldn't be a problem to most people if that speed limit is reduced.

"It is great news because lots of people wanted these changes."

Cllr Ireland also said the Council supported reducing the speed limit on two other small roads in the village, Chapel Lane and Church Lane to 20mph.

However, his vision of 40mph for the A353 still will not be going ahead, with Dorset Council sticking to the reduced speed limit of 50mph.

"Unfortunately at this time they are still sticking with a reduction to 50mph between Osmington and Poxwell when a recent resident's survey showed overwhelming support (87%) for 40mph.

"All we can do is try and make our roads as safe as possible.

"We haven't got the 50mph but we have pretty much got everything else we wanted.

"Funding is the issue and we're hoping Osmington Parish Council can help with that; the local Community Plan addressed the issues of traffic safety and speeding over a decade ago and there is still a budget associated with that."