Furious residents have complained that new 20mph speed limit signs have led to the ‘grotesque vandalism’ of their quaint seaside town.
Dozens of the signs have been painted on roads in Lyme Regis, Dorset, as the council implements its speed limit scheme in a bid to improve road safety.
But locals say the large roundel signs are ‘dreadful and terrible eyesores’ which are ruining the aesthetic appeal of the popular tourist hotspot.
There are also complaints that the ‘graffitied’ signs have been painted in too close proximity to one another.
On one stretch of road there are three daubed across the surface, while an idyllic riverside lane loved by townsfolk for evening walks has been backlogged with traffic.
Another narrow lane that leads to a dead end now has several ‘completely unnecessary’ roundels painted on it – in what has been dubbed an ’embarrassing mistake’.
Lyme Regis is in the West Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and questions are being asked of Dorset Council about the damage caused to the protected landscape.
Local Tony Hughes said the signs are ‘appallingly large.’
Furious residents in Lyme Regis, Dorset, have complained that their town has been ‘grotesquely vandalised’ by new 20mph speed limit signs
Dozens of the signs have been painted on roads as the council implements its speed limit scheme in a bid to improve road safety
But locals say the large roundel signs are ‘dreadful and terrible eyesores’ which are ruining the aesthetic appeal of the popular tourist hotspot
He added: ‘The council are painting them with no respect to the visual environment of this town and with no thought being given to their placement.’
David Manners said: ‘This is crass stupidity bordering on vandalism. They should be removed or at least painted over.’
Of the signs which have appeared on the lane, Windsor Terrace, Carolyn Hynard said: ‘It’s a pretty riverside stretch, mostly used by walkers, with only the odd resident or delivery van passing through and at barely 5mph. Completely over the top for a road like this.’
Peter Yates posted on social media: ‘I’d love to see some drone footage of lovely Lyme to show up these massive blots on the landscape.
‘For an area of outstanding beauty, a law has been broken. Absolutely hate what the council have done.’
Megg Flux said: ‘The whole painting on roads is an eyesore. They don’t need to be plastered on every single road.’
While Janette Edmonds added: ‘I don’t object to the lower speed limit – it saves lives – but this massive spend in painting and the visual impact is ridiculous.’
And Daniel Gallop fumed: ‘I’m not against a speed limit, but the signage seems to be out of control.
‘As far as I am aware there is no requirement for repeater signs in a 20mph zone. I swear there are places where you can see three at once.’
Belinda Bawden, a Green Party councillor for Lyme Regis, claimed residents had been calling for a blanket 20mph speed limit for the town for several years.
She said the signs painted on the riverside lane were an ’embarrassing mistake’ and will be removed.
On Windsor Terrace (pictured) there are three daubed across the floor, while an idyllic riverside lane loved townsfolk for evening walks has been back-logged with traffic
Another narrow lane that leads to a dead-end now has several ‘completely unnecessary’ roundels painted on it in what has been dubbed an ’embarrassing mistake’
‘When I was elected in 2022 residents from all over the town said they had been asking the council for years about the speeding issue so it was a residents-led campaign,’ she began.
‘The council did a public consultation that showed a narrow majority in favour of it. There are 20mph roundels on the roads that act as main access points to the town.
‘We will be assessing the whole town to make sure the signage that has been installed is right.’
A Dorset Council spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of residents’ concerns about the number and location of new 20mph road markings recently installed in parts of Lyme Regis and we would like to thank them for raising this with us.
‘The two white painted 20mph roundels in the Windsor Terrace location should not have been applied, and we are working with the contractor to remove this at no cost to the council.
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‘We are also reviewing the remaining lining for the new 20mph schemes to ensure that signage is proportionate and appropriate to its setting, while still meeting safety and legal requirements.’
More than a sixth of British roads now have a 20mph speed limit – 39,000 miles of the nation’s 246,500-mile road network, according to the transport consultancy Insight Warehouse.
In Wales, the Labour government cut the default speed on most residential and built-up roads in 2023 from 30mph to 20mph. More than half of London’s roads have a 20mph limit, according to Transport for London, which is chaired by Labour mayor Sir Sadiq Khan.
In Leeds, dozens of roads are set to become 20mph. Other town halls across the UK have introduced the limit or are planning to.
While there is evidence that 20mph limits reduce drivers’ average speed, motorists complain that they are often introduced on roads where they are not needed.
The figures were revealed by the DVLA following a freedom of information request by the road safety charity IAM RoadSmart. It found that 939,519 drivers in England, Wales and Scotland last year were given an SP30 endorsement – the code for breaking the speed limit. This excludes motorways, which have a separate offence code.
By contrast, 216,141 drivers were caught speeding on the motorway in 2025 – six per cent down on the previous year. This suggests more drivers are being caught on low-speed roads such as 20mph zones.
It may also account for the number of drivers attending speed-awareness courses soaring to a record 1.8million last year. They can opt to take the course in place of penalty points and a £100 fine.
Last year it emerged that police forces issued 488,599 tickets to drivers caught speeding on a 20mph road in the year to 2024 – an increase of two-thirds in a year.
