RESIDENTS have lodged an official complaint after councillors refused to introduce a lower speed limit on the road that divides their village.

People in Chester Moor, near Chester-le-Street, have complained to Durham County Council about its highways committee decision in June to turn down their request for a 50mph maximum on the A167 dual carriageway, which currently has a 70mph limit.

The road splits the village and pedestrians have no means of getting to facilities and bus stops on either side, other than crossing the road.

Now, the Chester Moor Community Group, which campaigned for the lower limit, has lodged a complaint that the decision was contrary to the council's policies.

They also said that some aspects of the decision-making procedure were unsatisfactory.

The group said officers recommended councillors to uphold the current limit to maintain consistency but pointed out that no other community of Chester Moor's size in the county has a 70mph dual carriageway running through it.

The group also said that other stretches of the road have 50mph and 60mph limits.

Members claimed that the committee's decision conflicted with the council's education department's policy of paying for taxis to take village children to and from school because the road is unsafe.

The campaigners said that the 70mph limitwas not consistent with the council's own speed management strategy.

It also said that Government guidance, saying that 30mph limits through villages should be the norm, has not been incorporated into council policy.

The group said that before two meetings, councillors were not given advance notice of some objections, including that of North Durham MP Kevan Jones, so councillors were unable to give them serious consideration.

The group has called on the council to look again at the matter, with the Department of Transport.

Group chairman Peter Lawson said: "We believe the committee were wrong in the decision they made, wrong because they didn't listen enough and wrong because they didn't apply their own policies.

"We are definitely a village divided by a dual carriageway that, we would argue, council policies say should not have a 70mph limit.''

A council spokeswoman said: "This matter has been very fully considered, both at a site visit and at an extensive meeting of the highways committee.

"However, at present we haven't yet received the representations of the Chester Moor Community Group.

"But when we do, we will consider the points they make as we would with all representations made to us.''