THE cost of extending 20mph speed limit zones to cover more of Porlock roads has been estimated at greater than £20,000.

Parish councillors were told it was therefore recommended they should not pursue the idea.

Somerset Highways traffic management team said it was only possible to establish 20mph zones where average speeds were below 24mph.

A survey showed only four roads currently with a 30mph limit would meet that criteria.

A council spokesperson said: “The rationale is that 20mph signs are unlikely to have much impact where the average traffic speed exceeds 24mph, which also risks damaging the credibility of 20mph limits in general.

“Paradoxically, this means it is only possible to put in place 20mph limits where the average traffic speed is already close to or below that limit.

“Since Porlock has many natural ‘traffic calming’ features such as narrow roads, bottlenecks, bends, and associated congestion, our average road speeds are naturally low, that is why it has been possible to establish the current 20mph limits in the village.”

Councillors were, however, recommended to budget up to £4,000 to cover the cost of purchasing a mobile speed indicator device (SID) and training members to use it.

PC Dan Cox told councillors SIDs were a good reminder to drivers to reduce speeds and worked in 90 per cent of cases.

The parish council heard police were unlikely to carry out formal speed checks because resources were stretched and the priority was in areas with known speeding issues.