SPEED limits are to be introduced in two Ribble Valley villages after police discovered that none had ever been imposed.

Lancashire County Council is now working with local officers to introduce the limits through the centres of Worston and Rimington.

Many villages have 30mph limits to slow motorists down as they travel through built-up areas.

The discovery that neither village has a speed limit -- other than the national 60mph limit -- was made by police officers when they began an audit of the valley's speeding hotspots earlier this year.

They went round towns and villages in the valley working out where speeding occurred, at what time, and which groups of drivers were normally responsible.

Problems in both Rimington and Worston -- the two villages either side of Downham, where TV's Born and Bred is filmed -- were identified.

Inspector Bob Ford, of Clitheroe police, said: "The problem was that there had never been a speed limit put in place in these villages, so people were driving fast and there was little we could do. Speeding is an issue which concerns a lot of people and we are working with parish councils to establish what problems there are.

"We are also talking to Lancashire County Council to get a speed limit imposed in the villages so that people do feel safer, and so we can tackle people who continue to break the law."

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said it was currently investigating what the best speed limit to impose was.

He added: "People should always be aware of their surroundings and moderate their speed accordingly."

Inspector Ford added: "Different parts of the Ribble Valley have different problems with speeding, and it tends to be at certain times.

"Some villages are used as short-cuts by commuters, others are popular with boy racers.

"We are now working out when to carry out speed enforcement to make roads in the borough safer.

"People need to think about others when they are on the road."