A strong case to introduce a 20mph speed limit “through the spine of Holybourne” has been made.

But a county councillor believes the proposals do not go far enough – and wants the 20mph limit in Alton to be expanded to take in all of the town.

Members of the Holybourne Village Association confirmed at their recent meeting they want a lower limit imposed along London Road as concerns grow about speeding, especially during school drop-off and pick-up times.

“It was made clear they want a 20mph limit through the spine of Holybourne from the traffic lights to Cuckoo’s Corner,” said Cllr Andrew Joy to Alton Town Council the following evening.

“This is mostly to stop excess speeding and reduce the risk to the school crossing patrol. The road is often congested with parking and that worsens things.”

The need for change was highlighted last September when a lollipop man was nearly knocked over near the entrance to Andrews Endowed Primary School by an inconsiderate motorist, with the incident being reported and the headteacher writing to parents in response.

While Cllr Joy seems supportive of the HVA, he also believes Alton’s residential areas could do with a lowered speed limit, as too many people see 30mph as a target.

He said: “In parallel with the HVA, I’ve campaigned for a very long time to expand the 20mph zone to Alton itself because it needs to be bigger and needs to take account of residential roads in the town.

“It’s a fact that 30mph is looked at by many as a target that needs to be exceeded, rather than a limit.”

Cllr Graham Hill agreed it “needed to be looked at”, while Cllr Joy added there has been correspondence between himself and the town clerk over hopes to get a lower speed limit in Holybourne.