VILLAGERS fighting for a lower speed limit on the busy road that splits their community are to be consulted again after the intervention of a watchdog.

Residents of Chester Moor, near Chester-le-Street, are pressing for a 50mph top speed on the A167 dual carriageway, but their call was rejected by Durham County Council's highways committee two years ago.

The Chester Moor Community Group complained to the Local Government Ombudsman, saying that the decision breached the council's own policies that the maximum limit through villages should be 60mph.

The Ombudsman sided with the villagers but accepted the council's offer to hold fresh consultations with residents on the issue.

Now the Labour council says it has hired a firm to do the consultation in the future.

People at Chester Moor, along with residents at Plawsworth, say traffic is too fast on the former Great North Road, and there is nowhere for pedestrians to cross safely.

Group chairman Peter Lawson said the Ombudsman found that officers had "provided the wrong information'' to councillors who voted to keep the 70mph limit but accepted the council's offer to re-consult.

He said that a complaint through the council's internal complaints mechanism found no fault with the process.

But Mr Lawson said that, apart from some letters sent to residents at the end of last year, the village had heard nothing more.

The group had requested information but had been told a key council officer had been off work ill.

He said: "We are not happy about how long this is taking. While they continue to say the national speed limit applies to our stretch of road, how they expect people to cross the road to catch buses is absolutely beyond us.''

A council spokesman said: "We originally told residents we were doing a questionnaire survey in January and February but the officer in charge has been off sick.

"He is back at work and we are getting a company to do a survey this month or next month.

"A questionnaire will be sent to every house in Chester Moor, Plawsworth and Kimblesworth asking for people's views on general safety on the A167 and its current speed limit.

"The responses will be closely looked at and our highways engineers and elected members will give them consideration.''