Speed limit reduced after villagers' 20-year fight

25 September 2025

Darren Rozier,in Saxteadand

George King

News image — Evelyn Sullivan, chair of the Saxtead Parish Council, feared a fatality before the speed limit was reduced

Darren Rozier/BBC A head and shoulders image of Evelyn Sullivan, chair of the Saxtead Parish Council. She is wearing glasses and smiling into the camera. — Evelyn Sullivan, chair of the Saxtead Parish Council, feared a fatality before the speed limit was reduced

Villagers have welcomed the introduction of a new speed limit, 20 years after concerns about traffic safety on a Suffolk A-road were first raised.

The speed limit on a section of the A1120 through Saxtead Green, near Framlingham, has been reduced from 60mph to 40mph.

The change, which is being enforced close to a nearby windmill and pub, comes after several years of collaboration between residents and councillors.

Evelyn Sullivan, chair of the Saxtead Parish Council, said "someone would have been killed" if the speed limit had not been reduced.

"I live at the windmill, and driving out of here was a nightmare because you can't see when cars are coming round at a speed," she said.

"My husband's grandfather was actually hit just pulling out of his own drive, so it is really important this has been reduced."

Darren Rozier/BBC A Welcome to Saxtead sign showing the new 40mph speed limit. A grey car is driving past it as the photo is taken. — The speed limit on a section of the A1120 through Saxtead Green has been reduced from 60mph.

Darren Rozier/BBC A head and shoulders image of George Cullingford. He is smiling into the camera. A green and a road can be seen in the background. — Former parish councillor George Cullingford had long campaigned for the speed limit to be reduced

The council's former chair, George Cullingford, told the BBC the fight to get the speed limit lowered had been ongoing for some two decades.

"It became clear that something needed to be done to improve safety along the A1120 - my thanks go to all the councillors who helped achieve this solution," he added.

Darren Rozier/BBC A head and shoulders image of Stephen Burroughes, Conservative Suffolk county councillor for Framlingham. He is sitting in his car and looking into the camera. — Stephen Burroughes, Conservative Suffolk county councillor for Framlingham, said residents wanted the reduction

One of those councillors was Stephen Burroughes, Conservative Suffolk county councillor for Framlingham.

"The request for a reduced speed limit through Saxtead came from residents who felt unsafe due to increasing traffic speeds," he said.

"With support from Suffolk Highways and agreement from the police, we were finally able to get the green light for this work.

"With rising traffic volumes, it is more important than ever to keep our roads safe and make it clear that speeding will not be tolerated."

Darren Rozier/BBC A head and shoulders image of Jonathan Sullivan. He is wearing glasses and a shirt and tie with a blazer over the top. — Former parish councillor Jonathan Sullivan said there had been a lot of accidents on the road

Former parish councillor Jonathan Sullivan is particularly happy about the new limit, having once been on the scene of an accident which saw a motorcyclist lose their leg.

"We have seen so many accidents on this road, and that one was very, very unpleasant," he said.

"I did a calculation, if a car was coming round this corner at 60mph, even if I had a Bugatti Veyron, I would not be able to get across the road in time.

"So it was that sort of danger."

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