COUNCILLORS are hoping to crack down on speeding motorists in Lyme Regis.

A resident contacted Lyme Regis Town Council, complaining about motorists driving too fast along the 30mph stretch of Charmouth Road in the town.

Members of the council's town management and highways committee agreed that a speed survey should take place, in advance of potentially installing the authority's Speed Indicator Device (SID) to help slow down motorists.

Councillors also said the police had been contacted about the problems. But a spokesman from Dorset Road Safe, which operates Dorset Police's mobile cameras across the county told The News no complaints have been lodged for Charmouth Road or the town of Lyme Regis since January 2014, when concerns were raised about the Charmouth Roundabout on the A35.

The spokesman added that Charmouth Road will be added to the Dorset Road Safe rota.

In a report to councillors, operations manager Elliott Herbert, said: "A resident who lives in Charmouth Road contacted the town council with concerns that vehicles regularly travel at speeds in excess of the 30mph limit, from the junction of Anning Road and through the traffic calming outside Charmouth Road car park.

"This was reported to Dorset County Council's highways department and the police. DCC's highways department has offered to undertake a speed survey on Charmouth Road using tubes across the highway. This would be at a cost of £250 to the town council.

"Without accident data to support a review, it would be the town council's responsibility to fund any action it considers reasonable."

Some committee members were sceptical about a speed survey taking place.

Cllr Cheryl Reynolds said: "Everybody will know it is happening.

"It will be £250 for nothing."

Deputy town clerk Mark Green told councillors that a speed survey will need to take place before the SID, which is currently being borrowed by Thorncombe Parish Council, can be put up on Charmouth Road.

He added: "It sounds bonkers but that is the way the system works".

Cllr Pat Hicks, who lives nearby, said: "Some of the cars go 50, 60 or 70mph.

"A survey is not going to make a bit of difference.

We need to get the mobile camera there on a regular basis. We need to get that over here a lot more often. We could pay off the national debt if we put a camera there."

Cllr Brian Larcombe raised concerns a survey may not give a fair representation of the problem.

He said: "We can have one car an hour doing 40mph but other cars doing 25mph and the percentile shows there is no problem.

"The give way in the road is probably the most effective thing we are going to get."