Norfolk council admits speed limit signature blunder

Streets in Cromer, Colney, Watton, Methwold and Upwell, were affected by the blunder, which Norfolk County Council conceded was due to an "administrative error".

The traffic orders were supposed to introduce 20mph limits and, in the case of Hethersett Lane in Colney, to extend a 40mph limit.

The orders were originally advertised in February, April and May and some speed limit signs have been put up by developers of the housing schemes the streets are part of.

That created a potential situation where drivers could have been caught 'speeding' on roads where the orders were actually unenforceable.

The roads affected were:

Randall Crescent in Cromer (Image: Google Street View)

Cromer: Randall Crescent, Burgess Close, Sayer Crescent, Vaughan Close, Woodcock Road and Yaxley Loke.

Colney: Hethersett Lane

Upwell: Blunt's Orchard Drive and Orchard Gardens

Watton: Aircraft Drive and Pingo Road

Methwold: Hythe Views Close

Hythe Views Close in Methwold (Image: Google Street View)

Conservative-controlled County Hall last week issued new orders for those roads - which came into effect on Monday, June 24.

A council spokesman confirmed the orders had been "missing a required signature", which had come to light this month during a "routine check".

The spokesman said: "The error was discovered during a routine check of our files. The legal orders have been remade and came into effect from June 24."

The new speed limits are connected with housing developments.

While the council arranges the traffic orders, it is the developers who are responsible for the speed limit signs.

Aircraft Drive in Watton (Image: Google Street View)

A council spokesman said: "The installation of signs are the responsibility of the developer.

"While they should not be in place before the statutory process has been completed, it is often the case that they are installed at an earlier stage."

The spokesman said they should be covered up until legal processes are complete.

The council said it was not able to say whether enforcement action had been taken against any drivers, saying that was a matter for Norfolk Constabulary.

The authority said the police had been informed of the issue.

Steve Morphew (Image: Denise Bradley)

But Steve Morphew, leader of the Labour group at the county council, said: "'It's not okay for the council to create chaos and then say it's for somebody else to clear up their mess.

"An apology to the public, police and motorists would be a start and taking responsibility for putting it right instead of passing the buck would make a nice if unexpected change."

A Norfolk police spokeswoman said: "Before the safety camera team enforce at any location, they check to ensure there is a current and correct traffic regulation order in force."

She said police had not carried out enforcement in any of the locations where the orders have had to be remade.

The blunder comes after it emerged that the 20mph limits on a string of streets in Stoke Holy Cross had been unenforceable for years.

Norfolk County Council recently started consultation over the 20mph zone covering five roads in the south Norfolk village, despite speed limit signs having been in place since at least 2021, when the developer put them up.

Police have previously said they do not "routinely enforce" 20mph limits and zones, unless persistent speeding is reported.

The issue of enforcement was raised at a meeting of Norfolk County Council's people and communities committee in March.

James Bensly (Image: Norfolk Conservatives)

Conservative chairman James Bensly agreed to write to the police raising concerns over what the force was doing to monitor 20mph zones and catch speeders.

Following that meeting, Norfolk police confirmed 75 offences had been recorded on county roads with 20mph limits and within 20mph zones between January last year and March 14 this year.

Department for Transport guidance states successful 20mph zones and 20mph speed limits should be "generally self-enforcing" and there "should be no expectation on the police to provide additional enforcement beyond their routine activity".