MEASURES to slow traffic are to be introduced on a Darlington estate after residents complained about speeding vehicles.

People on Firthmoor called on Darlington Borough Council to impose a 20mph speed limit on the estate last month.

Although that has yet to be decided, the authority has agreed to begin work on a phased scheme of traffic calming measures.

At a meeting on Friday, council spokesman Mike Baxter said the cost for the whole estate would be about £250,000.

"Obviously we can't tackle that all in one go," he said, adding that the council would first start work on £30,000- worth of improvements to Lanethorpe Road and Burnside Road.

Firthmoor Community Partnership Board has agreed, in principle, to pay £15,000 towards the work.

Councillor Lee Vasey said she was pleased the problem was being tackled.

"We asked for the town hall to look at traffic calming issues on the estate and it has," she said.

"We don't want to see cars or motorbikes whizzing around the estate for no apparent purpose other than to be dangerous to the residents."

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

The meeting heard that there was a £100,000 shortfall in funding for the project so a bid for the money had been made to the European Regional Development Fund.