PEOPLE plagued by speeding motorists on a Darlington estate are calling for a 20mph speed limit.

A traffic study has already been carried out on the Firthmoor estate and thousands of pounds set aside by Darlington Borough Council for speed-calming measures.

On Wednesday, campaigners will meet with council officers to decide how the cash should be spent.

Ward councillor Lee Vasey said: "We just don't want fast cars going round the estate which has been happening. It's just not on. We had a young girl hit by a car on Emley Moor Road.

"We also get an awful lot of people who are learner drivers coming on to this estate and it's something that we don't think is particularly right."

She said: "We don't want bumps on the road, we just want people to slow down."

Neighbourhood manager Sally Forth said residents were worried that more than 300 houses being built on the estate by developers Barratt and Haslam Homes would increase the volume of cars.

"We do have problems with cars whizzing around the estate and really we could do without it," she said.

"The new housing is likely to bring with it an increased level of car ownership so we need to look at tackling the problems now.

"The ultimate aim is for the whole estate to become a 20mph zone and we are confident that can happen."

One street on the estate, Pateley Moor Crescent, has been designated a Home Zone, meaning £172,000 of Government money will be spent making it safer for pedestrians, children and motorists.