BADLY placed speed restriction signs will not stop reckless motorists speeding through a small village, residents have claimed.

People in Middlestone Village, near Spennymoor, have been campaigning to have the speed limit halved to 30mph for more than a year.

A near-fatal accident in the village, which left a 17-year-old boy fighting for his life, in October last year, resulted in the reduced speed limit.

But residents say that Durham County Council has failed to consult them as to how restrictions should be implemented.

They have criticised the proposed locations of the warning signs, saying they will make no difference.

Campaigner Norman Strongman, who lives in the village, said: "Durham County Council said that the villagers would be involved at every stage and that the location of the signs would be discussed before completion.

"Now the positioning of the signs has been almost finalised and they are totally inadequate.''

Mr Strongman said that one sign is to be placed just 30 metres from the first house on the eastern approach to the village.

He said it should be placed further away from the village, before the road dips and narrows, and called for a further sign to warn motorists that the road narrows.

The other speed limit sign is to be placed 30 metres away from the school. Again, residents feel it should be placed further away to give cars more opportunity to slow down.

He said: "There have been too many accidents in this village, one a near fatality, and there are children and elderly crossing the road. They need to listen to villagers.''

A spokeswoman for Durham County Council said the signs are part of a package for the village that would include warning signs and improved white lining.

She said: "We have been talking to people in the village about the speed limit signs and the progress we are making. There are strict guidelines relating to positioning of signs.