HUNDREDS of concerned residents have backed calls to install speed cameras on a stretch of road.

A petition requesting speed cameras in Magna Road is due to be presented to the Canford Heath and Canford Magna area committee meeting tomorrow.

The Bearwood In Action Group has collected more than 250 signatures from residents of Magna Road and the surrounding area.

The road was the scene of a fatal road collision on March 9 when a blue Peugeot 406 being driven by a 27-year-old man collided with a telephone pole. Tarrant Bevis, 13, known as Taz, died in the collision, just opposite Bearwood post office.

Canford Magna ward councillor Leslie Legg said residents had always feared the road was dangerous, with several minor accidents happening before the fatal collision.

He said: "The accident had quite an impact on the community, it was incredibly sad.

"We have yet to hear the possible causes of why it happened but clearly it has heightened people's anxieties about the state of the road.

"Ever since I have been on the council, we have been asked by the people in the road to try and get the speed limits there reduced," he added.

"Over the years, we have managed to achieve a few results. There is now a road island outside the post office and a crossing point for pedestrians. We also achieved a reduction to 50mph further along Magna Road.

"But speeding drivers are still a problem and people do not want to wait for another accident before something significant can be done."

Poole council road safety engineer Martin Baker said the council was a member of the Dorset Road Safety Partnership and had submitted a bid for more speed cameras in the area.

But he stressed that roads had to meet strict criteria before they could be considered and Magna Road would not qualify for speed cameras at the moment, although the situation would be re-assessed every year.