The speed limit will not be reduced and a crossing without traffic lights is the preference for Leamington Road, Warwickshire County Council (WCC) has confirmed.

Residents at the new-build Kenilworth Gate estate on the edge of town have now been campaigning for over a year for improved safety along the route into town.

Locals say they are forced to walk along a muddy verge to get into the town centre, or face having to run across the busy road as there is still no crossing.

A petition was presented to WCC last year calling for change on Leamington Road, but so far, nothing has changed.

The council has launched a page on its website dedicated to the road, and had promised an update this October - which is yet to come.

But information shared by the local authority says the current plan is for an "uncontrolled crossing" on Leamington Road, which was agreed in the original planning permission for the 550-house development.

"Where this cannot be achieved, a suitable alternative would be the provision of a controlled crossing facility north of the LILO [left-in, left-out] junction," the website said.

The council is also urging residents to take the longer route round through Thickthorn Close, rather than walking along the verge or crossing into traffic.

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WCC has said it would consider a "temporary" speed reduction, but said a permanent change is not appropriate.

"A permanent reduction in the speed limit is not supported at this time, based on the assessment criteria and evidence available," the council said.

"These considerations include factors such as the road function and traffic composition, road geometry and engineering features and level of frontage development, all of which indicate that a 30mph limit would not be appropriate."

Both councillors and residents have asked why the crossing was not installed earlier, and why a controlled crossing was not considered at the planning stage.

WCC has washed its hands of this saying its team was "not involved at the planning stages of this scheme". Planning is handled by Warwick District Council, although the county's highways team was consulted on the Leamington Road junction.