THE A54 Holmes Chapel Road does not have a speeding problem according to Cheshire West and Chester Council.

The Guardian reported last week that Sproston Parish Council is picking up the pace in its campaign to reduce the speed limit along the road, which runs through the village.

Parish councillor Jim McKechnie said he wants the borough council to reduce the speed limit from 40 mph to 30 mph due to a dangerous speeding problem through the community but Maria Byrne from Cheshire West and Chester Council has denied that speeding is a problem along the road.

Ms Byrne, head of the council’s place operations, said: “Cheshire West and Chester Council has carried out a rigorous assessment of the speed limit of the A54 Holmes Chapel Road.

“To ensure consistency across the road network and to gain the support of the police, all speed assessments are carried out using national criteria which includes monitoring existing speeds on the road, collision data and the characteristics of the road.

“We have found no evidence of excessive speed during a survey period.”

According to national government policy, through-roads running through villages should always be 30mph.

However, Cllr McKechnie and Sproston Parish Council clerk Alan Hartopp explained last week that they were told by the borough council that Sproston needed one more house to meet their criteria of a village.

Ms Byrne also denied that this was a deciding factor in refusing the speed limit reduction.

She added: “While the criterion takes into account the number of homes which make up a village, this has not been a deciding factor in this case.”

Cllr McKechnie responded to Ms Byrne, saying that Sproston residents are being denied a ‘basic human right’.

Cllr McKechnie said: “The directive says where the character of a village falls outside this definition local authorities are encouraged to use their discretion. We feel in this instance common sense should prevail.

“Sproston Parish Council would like to point out that what we are trying t achieve is a basic human rights issue and a better quality of life for residents living alongside this road. 40 mph is just too fast for 40-ton lorries to pass cottages only a couple of metres from the carriageway. Surely a basic human right is a night’s sleep.”