THE combination of harvest pressures, school summer holidays and increasingly powerful tractors could spell tragedy, according to residents behind the latest concerns raised over vehicle speeds in villages.

North Yorkshire County Councillor David Hugill said while villagers had been left feeling “intimidated” by the pace of large and noisy agricultural vehicles on the narrow roads, numerous parish councils had highlighted tractor speeds as a pressing issue.

Calls for farm workers to cut their speeds follow a number of campaigners calling for a blanket 20mph limit to be introduced in built-up areas by the authority, while others are seeking to be allowed to run their own vehicle activated speed signs to improve road safety.

Councillors say the perceived speeds of motorists in residential areas are among the leading concerns for many residents.

North Hambleton member and farmer Cllr Hugill said with some tractors now capable of hitting speeds of 60km per hour and contractors being brought in for the harvest there was potential for a serious incident unless farm workers slowed down.

He said: “As a fellow farmer I see myself as part of the problem. A lot of these guys are contractors, they have got people on the phone like me saying ‘when are you going to be there, it’s going to rain’. They’ve got one eye on the clock, one eye on the weather and there is an urgency to get from one job to another.

“So when I’m on my tractor going through a village I just shut down the revs a little bit. My tractor goes 20mph, so instead of going 20mph, I go 17 or 18mph. It can make a big difference. We are saying show a bit of courtesy and shut down the revs.”

East Harlsey resident Richard Martin said concerns over speeding tractors had been raised following a children’s party at the village hall. He said he later flagged down a tractor to tell the driver “30mph isn’t a challenge it’s a maximum”.

Fellow villager Cat Lane, who has children aged five and eight, added: “I love living in a rural area and tractors are part of life, but they thunder through pretty quick at times. They are big vehicles coming through the village quicker than you would expect them to and there is a concern about road safety with the children.”