****PRESS RELEASE****

- Dorset Safety Camera Partnership -

Technicality in the Traffic Regulation Order Relating to the A35 in Chideock

Following the case of Regina v Dawe (see ‘Notes to Editors’ for details), the Crown Prosecution Service has today announced that it will not be appealing the Crown Court judgement that the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) relating to the village of Chideock in West Dorset was defective due to an error in the street names in the TRO.

The TRO, arranged by the Highways Agency in 1997, defined a length of the A35 westbound in Chideock as subject to a 30mph speed limit, this was necessary as the section of the road did not have a system of street lighting. The text of the order mistakenly referred to the A35 junction with “ Seatown Road” – this was an error as the road (which is known locally as Seatown Road) is actually called “Duck Street”. This has affected the camera monitoring westbound traffic only, enforcement of the eastbound speed limit is unaffected by this judgement.

Since the Crown Court judgement on 26^th October 2007, the Highways Agency has rewritten the TRO. This came into force on Tuesday 13^th November 2007 and the DSCP has since recommenced enforcement of the 30mph speed limit. This was announced by the Highways Agency following its normal procedures.

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Adrian Whiting, Assistant Chief Constable for Dorset Police and Chair of the Dorset Strategic Road Safety Partnership, comments: “I believe it is common sense that the speed limit through the village should be 30mph, and not the national speed limit, and I am pleased the Highways Agency has responded quickly to rectify the mistake so that the people of Chideock are not left unprotected from vehicles travelling too fast there. I am reassured by the fact that, in the course of this appeal, no one has tried to suggest that the speed limit should be anything other than 30mph. As Chideock is a small rural community, it is important to take into account that there have been approximately 25,000 prosecuted speeding cases at this site since 1997.

“The Dorset Safety Camera Partnership is continuing to work with the appropriate Government departments and we await their views before we are able to confirm the next steps. Clearly the DSCP is keen to make further public announcements regarding this issue in due course.

“In the meantime, the Partnership will continue to remain focused on working together to reduce the number of people who are killed or seriously injured on Dorset’s roads as a consequence of both excess and inappropriate speed.”

ENDS

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NOTES TO EDITORS

Background information on the issues relating to the A35 westbound in Chideock and the Crown Court case of Regina v Dawe :

1. In 1997 the Highways Agency arranged a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) relating to the village of Chideock, West Dorset. The order defined a length of the A35 westbound as subject to a 30mph limit. This was necessary as that stretch of road does not have a system of street lighting.

2. The text of the order referred to the A35 junction with “ Seatown Road”. This was a mistake as the road was then, and still is, correctly named “Duck Street”.

3. At about 2315hrs on the 27^th October 2005 Mr Dawe was detected speeding by a fixed safety camera, travelling west in the village of Chideock. He was travelling at 41mph in a lorry, passing the houses where the safety camera is located and approaching the village Pubs. He has never disputed this speed, nor suggested it was sensible to drive that fast in the built-up area of the village.

4. He appealed his conviction on the grounds that the 30mph speed limit signs were not of the proper form. On the 26^th October 2007 the Crown Court sitting at Dorchester found that the TRO was defective due to the road name issue, and thus the 30mph speed limit could not be enforced at that point on the A35 westbound. Accordingly the Court did not need to assess Mr Dawe’s actual grounds for appeal, and no finding on them was made.

5. Since the Crown Court judgement, t he Highways Agency has rewritten the TRO and it came into force on 13^th November 2007 so the DSCP has recommenced enforcement there.

The Dorset Safety Camera Partnership:

The Dorset Safety Camera Partnership, which was set up in August 2002, constitutes a partnership between Dorset County Council, Borough of Poole Council, Bournemouth Borough Council, Dorset Police, NHS South West, Highways Agency, Her Majesty’s Courts Service and the Crown Prosecution Service.

The Partnership, through a combination of measures including education, engineering and enforcement, is working together to reduce the number of people who are killed or seriously injured on Dorset’s roads, as a consequence of both excess and inappropriate speed. It is responsible for the operation and maintenance of fixed site, mobile and red-light junction cameras throughout Dorset.