Town councillors in Dorchester have renewed their call for a 20mph limit on many of the town's residential roads.

They say they cannot understand why Dorset Council is only able to deal with a handful of low-speed applications each year – and are incredulous that the Prime Minister seems to be opposing low speed areas.

Cllr Richard Biggs said he is concerned about the statement from the Prime Minister that he wants to be seen as being "pro-driver", and equally concerned that Dorset Council, in his words, seems to make it as difficult as possible to achieve 20mph zone status.

Councillors voted to write again to Dorset Council about the need for more 20mph limited areas in the county town – and to copy in the Prime Minister's office on their plea.

"Dorset Council seem to only be able to do about four a year as it is," said Cllr Biggs.

The claim of dragging its feet is denied by Dorset Council, which said it has "streamlined" the process for applications recently in an attempt to create more 20mph zones across the county.

The Mayor of Dorchester, Cllr Alistair Chisholm, said the more elderly and frail he becomes the more he he worries about traffic speed.

"I don't have a problem with lower speed limits – but why does it have to be such a rigmarole?" he asked.

Cllr Janet Hewitt said on recent trip she had come across 20mph areas in almost every town she visited and could not understand why that was not be the case in Dorset.

"It's so much safer for everybody. Why can't we just get on and do it?" she questioned.

Dorchester Town Council has recently agreed to pay Dorset Council to fit speed measuring devices on the Duchy of Cornwall's Poundbury estate, where the town council would like to see lower speed zones introduced.

Dorset Council said it could not afford to fit the devices to collect the evidence.