A COUNCIL has agreed to spend £10,000 on a scheme it claims is "unlikely" to achieve anything.

Essex County Council will impose a 20mph speed limit on The Willows estate in Colchester.

However the council report, which confirmed the reduction from 30mph, states: "As the speeds recorded are already below 24mph it is unlikely any highway benefit will be achieved by the scheme."

The Willows is the latest estate in Colchester to have its speed limit reduced.

Supporters of the scheme, including many residents on the estate, believe it will improve safety.

Ward member Dave Harris led the calls for a reduction in speed.

He is delighted it has been approved and disagrees with the analysis in the report.

He said: "All new estates are 20mph but because The Willows was built in the 1970s it was 30mph.

"People have a much better chance of surviving at 20mph than 30mph.

"This is about ensuring people and cars survive together."

Mr Harris went door-to-door to see what people wanted and said the desire to have a lower speed limit was "overwhelming".

The reduced limit will be imposed on The Willows, Holm Oak, Snowberry Grove, Silberthorne Close, Mayberry Walk, Wych Elm and Crosstree Walk.

Several estates have already seen limits reduced and several more are in the process of potentially having the limits reduced.

Opponents claim people can lose concentration at slower speeds and argue if the lower limits are not enforced, and there are not the police officers available to enforce them, then people will just ignore the new limit anyway.

However campaigns across the country, such as 20's Plenty, are well supported with those in favour of the reduction believing lower limits open up the streets to pedestrians, help prevent accidents and that there is no need to drive at 30mph around housing estates.

Mr Harris is working on similar projects for three other estates.

These include the Monkwick estate and the roads around Birch Glen and Finchingfield Way.

The £10,000 is being taken out of the budget for Colchester's highways panel, which comes from County Hall.