HEXHAM’S MP Guy Opperman is confident that new speed cameras will be installed on the A69 at Bardon Mill and Henshaw.

The notorious stretch of trunk road has been the subject of many fatalities over the years, and two people died in a double tragedy at nearby Melkridge last September.

Following the incident, Mr Opperman said he expected two average speed cameras to be installed along the stretch by April of this year.

This week, the MP revealed he was given assurances over speed cameras at a meeting involving Northumbria Police and Northumberland County Council last summer.

He said: “I am confident that the police will ensure that area has speed cameras.

“I base this on a meeting in June 2016 and the assurances that were given at that meeting, which involved the police, the local authority and representatives of Henshaw Parish Council.”

Henshaw Parish Council has been campaigning for road safety improvements on the A69 for two years, and last October, residents formed the Bardon Mill and Henshaw Action Group.

Last month, the group handed a petition of 256 signatures to the Department for Transport.

The petition called for the introduction of average speed cameras, and also for the speed limit to be reduced from 60mph to 40mph along the stretch, which includes Henshaw Garage, a cafe, several junctions, and is often crossed on foot by pedestrians.

Meanwhile, figures from the Northumbria Safer Roads Initiative (NSRI) have revealed 35 speed cameras in the North-East have been deactivated within the past 12 years.

The NSRI is a partnership between the police and the six local authorities within the force’s geographic area.

A police spokesman said static speed cameras not in use are not removed because they can be reintroduced in the future.

In addition, the force said its mobile speed camera unit carries out patrols at prioritised sites.

joseph.tulip@hexham-courant.co.uk