TOWN councillors in Marlborough believe they have unravelled a mystery over who proposed speed bumps on a road in the town's biggest housing development.

For years people living on the St Margarets Mead estate have fruitlessly campaigned for traffic calming measures.

On several occasions residents have met councillors and highways officers to discuss ways of slowing the speed of traffic on the main St Margarets Mead access road.

Ideas put forward, but always dropped by the Wiltshire County Council highways department on the grounds of cost, have included a roundabout at the main A4 junction, mini roundabout at the St Margarets Mead/Five Stiles Road crossroads and chicanes to reduce traffic speed.

Suggestions for speed humps, also known as sleeping policemen, were previously dismissed because of the noise created by vehicles passing over them in a residential area.

However, out of the blue, plans have come forward for what the county council is calling "speed control cushions" in Queensway, just one of several streets in the sprawling estate.

Wiltshire county council has asked town councillors for their comments but inquiries revealed it was not a WCC proposal.

Planning chairman Coun Marian Hannaford (Conservative) said her inquiries revealed that the speed bumps were part of an original planning application for when new social housing was built behind Queensway and which has been named Elizabeth Close because it opened in Jubilee year.

Coun Hannaford said WCC made it clear it was not its application although it is the highway authority. Kennet District Council told her it had no knowledge of the proposal.

Coun Nick Fogg said there was no evidence that speed humps were needed and he successfully moved the suggestion was put back to another meeting for more information to be obtained.

He said a traffic survey of the whole estate was needed rather than taking a piecemeal approach.

Coun Graham Francis, deputy mayor, said there had been discussions on how to reduce the speed of traffic on the Mead estate, on more than one occasion.

He said: "I was surprised to see this suggestion come out of the ether."

Coun David Parker said he could not see a need for the speed cushions because, as far as he was aware, Queensway was not used as a traffic rat run.

Coun Bryan Castle said: "This is a move in the right direction and we would be idiots to say we do not want it. At least it's a start."