NEIGHBOURS are spreading the message that "20's plenty" in an attempt to reduce the speed limit in their narrow street.

Residents of Pixham Lane in Dorking have joined a national campaign to persuade local councils to adopt 20mph as the default limit for residential areas.

Paul Finch, who founded the group, says he got frustrated by the authorities and decided to take action.

"We appreciate that getting the highways authorities and police focused on reducing speed limits is the only way we are going to affect any change," he said. "Unless they are concerned then nothing is going to change at all."

Residents decided to put signs on their rubbish bins, informing drivers that 20mph should be their target speed.

Mr Finch added: "People are always in a rush, why don't they just leave a little bit earlier?

"If you were to drive along the road from end to end and the traffic lights were green, then you are talking about 20 seconds more to drive at 20mph than at 30mph.

"20mph in urban areas is the right speed to be doing."

Jo Mears, who lives in the lane, added: "We have had people bash into the bins, our wing mirrors get knocked off; almost everybody has had something happen."

Louisa Whitney, who has two children under five, told the Advertiser she had a nasty experience just two weeks ago.

"I was getting my daughter out of the car and this old boy drove into me," she said. "He said 'I just I didn't see you'. It shows how fast he was going.

"Sometimes we try to cross the road and I have to pull my children back in because there is a car coming flying round the bend."

Ian Saville says the road, which runs from the A24 at Denbies to the A25 near Dorking Cemetery, is often used by people trying to avoid rush hour queues.

"People absolutely bomb down here in the morning because they are always late and they use this road as a cut-through," he said.

A Surrey County Council spokeswoman said: "We generally only consider a 20mph limit with effective traffic calming measures in residential areas with a history of personal injury accidents.

"A 20mph zone is not always the answer, and we look at the causes and background to find the right solution."

Speed limit campaign suffers blow – turn to page 8.