A BLANKET speed limit is to be imposed on an estate in Stanway in a bid to crack down on speedy motorists.

A 20mph restriction will come into place on Monday in Wyvern Farm estate, Stanway, after the parish council urged people to slow down.

Wyvern Farm, a 12.6 hectare site west of Stane Park, next to the A12 and behind KFC and Nandos, features more than 170 homes in its estate.

Now, the speed limit will be reduced from 30mph to 20mph on 14 of its roads from Monday.

It will impact the entire length of Cheetah Chase, Giraffe Row, Hyena Drive, Komodo Drive, Lemur Lane, Meerkat Mews, Otter Place and Wallaby Way.

Sections of Flamingo Crescent, Leopard Gardens, Ostrich Street, Penguin Parade, Rhino Drive and Sealion Approach will also be affected.

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Stanway councillor Paul Dundas said the move was a step in the right direction.

“These are all residential streets with cars parked along them, they are residential areas,” said Mr Dundas.

“This means people haven’t been able to do much more than 20 to 30mph anyway, but my view is I want to support these speed limits where the residents do.

“It’s something the residents feel strongly about and now the key thing is ensuring it is enforced. Of course, having it in law enables a degree of enforcement which is very useful.”

The change came after Stanway Parish Council pushed Essex County Council to help protect the residents of the newly-built estate.

Following a successful campaign, the new limit will begin enforcement from Monday.

“We hear residents asking for these limits elsewhere in Stanway too,” added Mr Dundas.

“In my view, it is counter-productive to impose them all over the town but, where there are these calls or large public support, we will always look into what we can do.

“They are, of course, particularly important where there are schools as we need to do all we can to protect children.

“It will also better protect other pedestrians, pets and animals.

“Where you have got cars and people close to one another, it’s always sensible to make sure people are driving as sensibly as possible.”