Campaigners fighting for safety improvements on the A3102 at Mile Elm suffered a setback after Wiltshire Council’s cabinet member for highways said the cost would not be justified.

The residents’ battle began after the death of 43-year-old mother-of-three Tracey Rooke, from Worton, near Devizes, whose Ford Fiesta was in collision with a lorry on March 13.

The crash happened outside the home of 48-year-old Mile Elm resident Sharon Wetton, who comforted Ms Rooke as she lay dying.

She and other Mile Elm residents are disappointed by a letter from Coun John Thomson, who is also Wiltshire Council’s deputy leader.

They say there have been several other accidents in the area and want to reduce the 50-mile- per-hour speed limit to combat dangerous bends in the road.

But Coun Thomson’s letter said: “Our annual monitoring of collisions on the highway indicated that Mile Elm is not yet at a level that would justify intervention from our safety scheme budget.

“The speed at which motorists choose to travel is not so much governed by the posted speed limit, but more by how they perceive local conditions.

“Lower speed limits are only effective as long as drivers drive to that limit.”

Mrs Wetton has also raised concerns with Calne’s community area transport group, which can choose to investigate and fund road improvements.

She said: “He’s saying that Mile Elm isn’t dangerous enough to justify intervention from the county safety scheme budget.

“Just because some people don’t observe the speed limit doesn’t mean there’s no point doing it.”