THE battle to secure a reduced speed limit on a dangerous stretch of the A66 has been won.

Highways England has agreed to introduce a 50 mph limit on the road at Ravensworth in North Yorkshire - the location of many serious accidents in recent years

Local MP Rishi Sunak and the county's police and crime commissioner, Julia Mulligan, joined forces to back the campaign, led by the parish council an the A66 Action Group.

Originlly Highways England and the police claimed the issue was driver inattention rather than speed.

However Highways England has now agreed to the limit on a two-mile single carriageway stretch which includes the junctions serving Ravensworth, West Layton, the Fox Hall Inn and Mainsgill Farm Shop.

Regional director Richard Marshall confirmed in a letter to Mr Sunak and Mrs Mulligan that a temporary 50mph limit would be imposed as soon as possible and then made permanent.

Mr Sunak said: “I am delighted with Highways England’s change of heart on this issue. The campaign group has done a tremendous amount of work in producing the evidence which demonstrated a speed limit was justified.

“Villagers fear using these junctions, particularly the New Lane access to Ravensworth, and it is worse in bad weather and at night. Pending the dualling of this section of the A66, this restriction will definitely improve safety.”

Ravensworth villagers have fought for safety improvements for more than ten years. The parish council and a dedicated A66 Action Group wanted junction improvements and a speed restriction because of the number of accidents, some of which have been fatal.

The Government has announced that the A66 will be upgraded to dual carriageway along its entire length between Scotch Corner and Penrith but that work is not likely to start until after 2020.

Mr Sunak said the parish council and the action group compiled an impressive dossier of information about the stretch of road which showed that it was carrying almost 16,000 vehicles per day and that the length between the West Layton turn-off and the New Lane junction, which includes the entrance to the Fox Hall Inn and Mansgill Farm Shop, had a poor accident record.