Rural campaigners have put the brakes on a mass road protest after a top level meeting was placed on the table.

Brentwood and Ongar MP Eric Pickles is to set up a summit of the key parties involved to thrash out the issue of speed reductions in the lanes of South Weald.

Action group leaders will be able to put their case for a 30mph speed limit on roads encompassing Weald Country Park to highways officials from Essex County Council, the body responsible for such traffic orders.

Protest Posse: Pictured left to right are Philip Manby, Alan H Tumbridge, Malcolm Knox, Cllr Jim Shawcross, Cllr Brandon Lewis and Eric Nowell.

Mr Pickles plus representatives from both Brentwood Borough Council and Brentwood Police will also attend the meeting expected to take place within weeks.

The Conservative MP visited the village last Wednesday prior to a public meeting at the Tower Arms public house.

He said afterwards: "The village needs to be treated as a whole. What is going on at the moment with small patches of 40mph zones is a piecemeal solution. There are few footpaths and people cannot travel safely from one part to another. There are a number of stables and a high incidence of horse use.

"While I was there I saw an incident with a car travelling too fast near a horse and rider."

Campaigners who attended the public meeting decided to call a halt to a planned road protest by horse riders, cyclists and ramblers on Saturday March 2.

Action group chairman Alan Tumbridge, of Weald Road, said later: "The march is on hold. We decided to exhaust all the channels first and are going through certain procedures."

The meeting was attended by Brentwood Police inspector Paul Spooner who said police could provide the equipment for an electronic survey of the traffic.

Campaigners are due to meet again at the Tower Arms on Thursday at 8pm.

Published Wednesday, March 6, 2002