DORSET'S traffic management has been criticised because drivers are not automatically restricted to 30mph in the county's villages.

A new survey, carried out by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), found that Dorset County Council receives requests for lower speed limits almost every week.

The CPRE is calling for all villages to have a default speed limit of 30mph.

But Dorset County Council's traffic and safety management team say 30mph would not be suitable for every village and claim they are working towards clearing a five-year backlog of requests for new speed limits.

Team spokesman Tony Mackle said: "There are some villages where the road going through is such a high quality that 30mph wouldn't make sense.

"We don't want to alienate motorists by imposing artificially low limits but at the same time the residents expect a reasonably low speed."

Mr Mackle said the council was receiving around five requests for speed limits each month last year but is now receiving closer to three requests per month.

The council is clearing 20 requests each year but at a cost of £6,000 each it has to rely on some of these being unsuitable and not going ahead.

Mr Mackle said: "For each speed limit we impose we have to advertise at least twice and carry out all the consultation that goes with it.

"There's also the cost of signs showing the new speed limit."

The department can deal with 20 applications annually but is currently receiving 36, creating a backlog.

Mr Mackle said: "Most of our villages now have a 30mph speed limit.

"I can't tell you how many don't, or how many villages we have in total but there will come a time when each village that is suitable has a 30mph limit and we have no more requests.

"There's a light at the end of the tunnel because we've broken the back of the speed limit requests and we think it will be tailing off."

The council hopes to have cleared the backlog by the end of 2010.