A CAMPAIGNING Ringwood councillor has resurrected his impassioned plea for a lower speed limit on the A31 following a spate of accidents and delays in just one week.

Michael Thierry urged the Highways Agency to consider a 50mph limit between Picket Post and the Ashley Heath roundabout to reduce problems in the area.

Last year, members of Ringwood Town Council went to see Stephen Hammond, then Transport Minister, and demanded a raft of improvements including engineering works, new signs and a cut in the 70mph speed limit.

Mr Hammond said he was “minded” to introduce a 50mph limit but later ruled this out. Mr Thierry, who is Deputy Mayor of Ringwood and a New Forest district councillor, said: “Most accidents are caused by driver error and there is less chance of that at 50mph than 70mph.

“The Highways Agency will not accept that this stretch of road is an urban dual carriageway but there are a lot of slip roads and some private entrances.

“We can’t do anything about the volume of traffic or cars breaking down but we can reduce accidents by reducing speed.”

Last week, queues of traffic built up on the eastbound carriageway after a car left the road between Stoney Cross and the Castle Malwood turn-off. No one was injured in the collision.

Rush-hour drivers were also delayed on Wednesday due to a three-vehicle crash on the westbound carriageway, near the Hightown turn off, which led to a lane closure.

Later that day, at around 2pm, a car fire near Picket Post left traffic queues stretching as far back as Cadnam.

A vehicle blocked one lane of the eastbound carriageway of the A31 on Poulner Hill on Monday and caused delays back to the Ashley Heath roundabout and the A338 Spur Road.

A two-car crash also occurred eastbound between Picket Post and Stoney Cross earlier on in the day.

On Sunday, a woman lost control of her silver Vauxhall Corsa on the A31 eastbound carriageway near Stoney Cross at 1.05pm.

The car left the carriageway and smashed into a barrier before coming to rest.

There were delays of nearly an hour for motorists as emergency services dealt with the crash. And at Ashley Heath, a woman was taken to hospital with a suspected head injury after her car overturned at 2pm.

On Friday last week there were rush-hour delays when one lane was blocked eastbound, between Nouale Lane and the Lindford turn-off, due to a broken-down vehicle.

At the same time a broken-down lorry blocked the inside lane on the westbound carriageway at Castle Malwood.

On Thursday last week, one lane was closed westbound near Picket Post services due to a van hitting the central reservation and on the eastbound carriageway there were long delays following a crash between the Ringwood junction and the Lindford turn-off which blocked a lane.