NO ACTION should be taken on the suggested introduction of a 7.5-tonne weight limit on the A173 road through Great Ayton, North Yorkshire councillors have decided.

The area committee for Hambleton has, however, agreed on other measures which could be taken to address the concerns of local people who claimed the road was being used as a "rat run" by heavy lorries between the A172 at Stokesley and the A171 west of Guisborough.

Following a request for a 7.5-tonne limit, council officers conducted 12-hour traffic surveys on one day at various points.

They revealed that of 139 lorries using the A173, only 43 travelled north and south without stopping. The other 96 needed access either to premises along the route or to other points leading off the A173.

Officers concluded that if a weight limit were introduced, an exemption would have to be made for loading and unloading.

They added that traffic-calming measures on the A173 through Great Ayton had helped to reduce speeds and improve road safety.

The committee agreed with officers that advisory signs on the A172 at the Stokesley bypass, asking drivers to use that road and the A171 to avoid Great Ayton, should be supplemented by others if necessary. Further monitoring should also take place to establish whether more action was needed.