MOMENTUM is building in the Stop the Carnage campaign demanding speed cameras and other safety measures on Middlewich Road in Crewe.

As reported in last week's Chronicle, a 40mph speed limit for the stretch between Crewe's Coppenhall Lane roundabout and Wistaston Green Road junction has been approved and may be in place by Christmas.

But at a meeting of Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council on Wednesday, members agreed to push their county counterparts for speed cameras to enforce the limit.

The stretch between Wistaston Green Road and the Sainsbury roundabout at Nantwich has seen two fatal crashes in the last five months.

In June, young fathers Stephen Hicks and Adam Chadwick, both 21, died when their cars collided near the Colleys Lane junction, and on September 11 an accident involving two cars at the Wistaston Green Road junction claimed the lives of Lee Roberts, 21, and Darren Wilson, 34, both of Crewe, and Nantwich couple Franz and Janice Beran, both 65.

Cllr Tom Dunlop, ward member for Wistaston Green and deputy chairman of the Joint Local Highways Committee, put the latest motion to the council.

He said: 'I got full backing from all political parties, which was pleasing. I want to see this through. It is my ward and it is not pleasant that people are dying.

'As I've said before, we can put all the speed restrictions we like in place, but we need some way of enforcing them. Everyone says the same thing, speed cameras do cut accidents.'

Cllr Dunlop, who has collected more than 1,300 signatures on his petition for speed cameras, is meeting Crewe and Nantwich MP Gwyneth Dunwoody on Friday to discuss the Government's position on speed cameras.

There is currently a national embargo on installing new devices, but the Chronicle understands that is only a temporary measure while an audit of speed camera performance is conducted, which could be finished early next month.

If lifted, Middlewich Road would meet the criteria for a camera in terms of the number of serious and fatal accidents.

Lisa Lafferty, communications manager at the Cheshire Safety Camera Partner-ship, said: 'The latest guidelines say that if there have been four or more serious accidents within a kilometre in the past three years, the road would be considered for a fixed yellow box camera.

'For mobile cameras, that is reduced to two accidents.'