RESIDENTS fighting for a lower speed limit on the busy dual carriageway through their village have lodged a second complaint about the council in charge of highways.

Chester Moor Community Group is awaiting the outcome of its complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman about a decision by Durham County Council's highways committee not to lower the 70mph limit on the A167 to 50mph.

Now it has complained to the council about the committee's decision to close central reservation crossing points, which were considered a potential hazard on the stretch between the Pity Me and Hermitage roundabouts.

The council originally wanted to close all the crossing points but, following objections from people living near the road, including Chester Moor residents and the community group, it decided to keep open those where there is protection for vehicles trying to turn right.

The move has been prompted by concern about the danger of vehicles, such as lorries, that stick out into the outside lane while waiting at narrow crossing points.

Community group chairman Peter Lawson said the original plan would have meant closing three crossing points at Chester Moor that the group did not consider hazardous.

Although the committee agreed to keep them open to protect turning vehicles, the group was concerned that the closing of other crossing points could encourage traffic to go faster.

Mr Lawson said: "Regular users of the road will know that they are no longer going to be faced with traffic coming across the central reservation and they will relax a bit more and put their foot down.

"We think the council failed to justify the need for the work and there has been no mention at all of the costs involved.''

A spokesman for the county council said: "We have responded to the specific points raised in the complaint. However, as we have not yet heard their response to our comments, we must consider the complaints procedure still in progress.

"While we cannot therefore discuss matters in detail, we can however say that we consider the decision made by the highways committee in March in relation to the central reserve crossing points to have been right and proper."

The group wants a lower limit because the village is split by the road and there are no pedestrian crossings or bridges.

It maintains the council has gone against its own guidelines in rejecting the group's call for a lower limit.