CARS are travelling at more than 60 miles per hour on one of the main roads in and out of Dunbar, according to a community councillor.

A widespread 20mph limit covers much of the town but Will Collin claimed cars were doing treble that on North Road.

An 18-month trial of a reduced speed limit of 20mph throughout much of the town took place and a permanent 20mph limit was approved by members of East Lothian Council’s cabinet committee last month.

Mr Collin questioned if drivers were sticking to the speed limit, however.

He said: “I am convinced the traffic is travelling very much faster along the road than it used to and there are more cars coming up Park Avenue to go down along North Road because it is less visible. There are no police stations along that part of the road.

“It is getting worse still because we have a nice extended pavement and it is a straight road from the High Street end virtually right down into Belhaven.

“The last time there was a speed check by Winterfield Golf Club, there were cars clocked at over 60mph.

“I would not be surprised if there are more cars clocked at that speed.”

Funding from Dunbar and East Linton Area Partnership (DELAP) was used to extend the footpath from the junction of Knockenhair Road to Winterfield Golf Club.

Last year, discussions also took place about the possibility of closing Back Road, which links Dunbar with Belhaven.

A suggestion was made to see the road closed to vehicles – but remaining open to pedestrians and cyclists – from the junction with Winterfield Golf Club to Belhaven.

Pippa Swan, chairwoman of Dunbar’s community council, suggested a speed reactive sign, which flashes up the speed of an approaching vehicle, could be put in place on Back Road or North Road.

Police in Dunbar have also used two life-sized cut-outs of officers, which are also known as PC Jim and Jemima, in a bid to deter speeding vehicles.

Constable Gavin Ross, Dunbar and East Linton community officer, said: “We have had no complaints about speeding on Back Road or North Road but in the past, even from the police station, we have heard vehicles with loud exhausts going at speed and caught them.

“We are doing a programme with Jim and Jemima going out and they will be out regularly.

“We do not use them for a few weeks so people do not get overly used to them but we will be on Back Road.”

A spokeswoman for East Lothian Council confirmed that a feasibility study looking at the future of Back Road had been undertaken.

She said: “Options included closure of Back Road except for use of pedestrians and cyclists, one-way operation, and formal signal-controlled priority working.

“All three options recognised the requirement to maintain vehicular access to both Winterfield Golf Course and Winterfield Place.

“The report also considers the displaced traffic on the wider network and has identified a number of potential measures to remediate the effect of the increased traffic principally on the A1087 Belhaven Road corridor.

“The funding for the study was provided by Sustrans, the national walking and cycling charity.

“The Council would need to apply for funding from Sustrans to take any options through to detailed design and construction, and as such designs would need to satisfy the strict criteria set out by the charity. These options will now be considered further by councillors.”