HIGHWAYS chiefs plan to make an accident black spot junction safer. But calls to reduce the speed limit on the A1052 at Bournmoor, near Chester-le-Street, have been rejected.

Several accidents, in which people have been injured, have occurred at the junction of the A1052 and the C8B and an unclassified road.

"The current road configuration has an unusual pattern of traffic movements around an existing traffic island and has been the subject of several low cost amendments that have not resolved the conflict,'' said Durham County Council highways officer Roger Elphick.

Financial constraints mean the council cannot build a standard roundabout but it is planning one similar to the roundabout on the A167 at the Cock o' the North.

Residents associations in the area have called for the speed limit on the road to be reduced from 40 to 30 mph.

The new junction will feature a pedestrian refuge and an anti-skid surface on a downhill approach. But the idea has failed to win the support of Durham Police because it does not qualify for a lower limit under existing Government guidelines.

A review of the guidelines is currently being undertaken by the Department of the Environment Transport and the Regions.

The council's highways committee has backed the planned improvements and is to defer a decision on a lower speed limit.