A York councillor has welcomed plans to slash the speed limit on a stretch of a road he said was a “tragedy waiting to happen”.

Strensall ward councillor Paul Doughty and ward campaigner Sian Wiseman have campaigned to lower the speed limit on Towthorpe Road between the junction with Strensall Road and the end of the built up part of Towthorpe.

The pair organised a petition which was signed by residents before being submitted to a full council meeting in March 2019.

The change, which will see the speed limit reduced to 30mph, had been “a long time coming”, Coun Doughty, leader of the York Conservative group, said.

He added: “The council has been excruciatingly slow to react to concerns that the 60mph national speed limit directly past homes on a road with two sharp bends was a tragedy waiting to happen.

“The number of homes with barn conversions and suchlike has doubled in recent years and there have been instances of vehicles in front gardens, so maybe the penny finally dropped.”

A draft order has been raised by council highways officers, which come into effect as long as no significant objections are made before October 21.

“We are absolutely delighted,” Coun Doughty said.

Ms Wiseman added: “When we knocked on doors at the time, everyone we spoke to agreed with our suggestions and signed the petition. We believe this reduction will be a natural addition to the speed reduction initiative we also successfully campaigned for on the main road between Earswick and Strensall in 2018.

“It is felt strongly that this will make the road safer for all users and particularly for residents of several of the homes who have no pavement in front of their properties.”