MEASURES to improve road safety and reduce traffic speed in a village near Darlington have been completed.

Work on the main road through Hurworth and in the village centre have cost Darlington Borough Council £40,000.

Gateways on the approach to the village from Neasham and on Roundhill Road will help cut traffic speed in the area, where there have been 15 accidents in which people have been injured and countless other damage-only accidents in the last four years.

Other improvements include a central island to slow vehicles, an extended 30mph limit in conjunction with additional street lighting, enhanced speed limit signs, coloured road surfacing and rumble strips on in-bound approaches.

Associated road safety works include additional and improved road markings, and upgraded traffic signs on Roundhill Road and through the centre of Hurworth.

The scheme was funded from the council's local transport plan.

The original figure was £25,000, but the council decided to carry out extra work in the in light of accident statistics.

Councillor Nick Wallis, Darlington council cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "Road safety is a priority for the council and we are responding to the concerns of Hurworth residents who were worried about speeding traffic in the village.

"The work we have carried out will cut the speed of vehicles travelling through the village, improving safety for pedestrians and other road users."

Councillor Roderick Burtt, who represents Hurworth on the council, said the reaction in the village had been very positive.

"It's definitely a very, very positive move in the right direction, that's for sure," he said.

"I've noticed they have slowed the traffic down and I find them much better than these awful humps."