Speed limit lowered on crash road

Four people died on this stretch of road in January

The speed limit on a stretch of road in Derbyshire on which four people died in a collision is to be dropped.

In January two cars collided on the A608 between Morley Smithy and Breadsall, resulting in four deaths.

A Derbyshire County Council spokesman said the 50mph speed limit was being reduced to 40mph after residents raised concerns over the speed of traffic.

In the five years up to November 2007, 51 accidents were recorded on the road. The new limits will first be trialled.

Busy, rural route

Councillor Brian Lucas said: "Road safety is one of our main priorities so when people told us they wanted the speed limit lowered even further, we listened.

"The A608 is a particularly busy, rural route with several bends so in this case a lower speed limit would be acceptable."

In addition, the existing limit of 60mph north of Morley Smithy will be reduced to 50mph and a 30mph limit will be brought in though the village past Morley Primary School to replace the current 40mph limit.

Drivers will begin to see the limits change shortly and the situation will be reviewed after 12 months to see whether accidents have been reduced.