Lancashire U-turn over 20mph speed zone complaints pause

Concerns submitted to the road safety body are reviewed by a panel comprising police and local councils

Police have said they are "continuing to accept 20mph speed limit reports" after a road safety scheme said it was not taking complaints due to a backlog.

On Monday, Lancashire Road Safety Partnership (LRSP) said it would "pause" assessing new reports after receiving an "unprecedented number".

An LRSP webpage has since been changed to remove any mention of that position.

Lancashire Police, which is part of LRSP, said it was altered to "avoid any further confusion".

The page on the LRSP website was set up allow people to report concerns of excessive speed for review by the Lancashire Speed Management Group, which includes representatives from the force and Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool councils.

It had stated that due to the "unprecedented number of speeding concerns we continue to receive relating to 20mph limits, we have made the difficult decision to pause the assessment of newly received 20mph limit concerns".

The page originally stated LRSP had "made the difficult decision to pause the assessment of newly received 20mph limit concerns"

However, Lancashire Police said that having "reviewed the wording used... we have decided to remove the previous phrasing in relation to 20mph limits to avoid any further confusion to those who wish to make a report".

"We are continuing to accept reports for all speed limits, including those in a 20mph area and would encourage anyone to report through the Lancashire Road Safety Partnership website," a representative added.

South Ribble Labour councillor Paul Wharton-Hardman, who feared the original wording could put lives at risk, welcomed the clarification.

"It's a victory for common sense," he said.

"Instead of addressing our genuine worries and making our roads safer, it feels like [LRSP] adopted the classic 'hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil' approach."

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