RESIDENTS in Winchester told police more should be done to impose 20mph speed limits in the city.

At a police meeting, concerned pedestrians and motorists told how drivers regularly break the limit on certain roads in the city.

As reported the 20mph speed limit was introduced last year, but police admitted that they do not enforce the zones where it is in place.

One older female resident who addressed PCSO’s at the meeting at St Peter’s Church in Jewry Street said: “Can’t you get rid of the 20mph speed limit. You get to 20mph and other people go at 70mph and there is a poor pedestrian crossing the road.”

She said she sees scores of motorists driving along North Walls driving above the limit.

In January police enforced the limit in the road with speed traps by the former police station.

PCSOs at the meeting said they can only take enforcement action in the city if residents call them about people speeding, they said even though they might not be able to prosecute anyone on limited information, they could start to see a pattern which could lead to future action.

PCSO Dawn Gretton, said: “If people ring in it creates a pattern and it alerts us and we can contact highways.”

They said that traffic speeding is not in their remit as community officers and said the most likely way someone would be caught if a PC is in the area or on the road sees a car going over the limit and stopping it.

City councillor Ian Tait believes there are too many drivers speeding on certain roads in the city.

Cllr Tait, said: “I wonder if 20mph speed limits are obscuring our focus on people who drive at excessive speed at 40 or 45 miles per hour in residential areas.

“I think that’s why we should be looking out for the people who are going much too fast rather than drivers who are going above 20mph and below 30mph.

“We are preoccupied with 20mph speed limits when we should be looking at irresponsible drivers who are driving much too fast for the road and conditions.”