A stretch of the A483 on the England-Wales border changes speed limit six times in just three miles, leaving motorists baffled. Drivers heading north from Welshpool encounter a 60mph national speed limit road that immediately drops to 20mph in the village of Llanymynech, Powys. The 20mph zone lasts about half a mile, but a side road at the main crossroads, which lies in Shropshire, England, has a 30mph sign.
As motorists leave Powys and enter Shropshire, the limit rises to 40mph, then drops to 30mph in the village of Pant. After about half a mile through Pant, it reverts to 40mph, before becoming national speed limit (60mph) again half a mile further north. The confusing changes are due to the road straddling the border, with different authorities setting limits.
Hotel boss Jason Farr, 41, who runs the Cross Keys in Llanymynech but on the English side, said: 'Coming from Welshpool you are on a 60mph national speed limit stretch, then in about 20 or 30 metres it's right down to the 20mph zone. When you reach the crossroads, a side road beside the pub is 30mph while the main road remains 20mph. It's England and Wales not working together.'
Landlord John Turner, 59, of the Dolphin Inn in Wales, added: 'The coming down from 60mph to 20mph must confuse many. We live here and know the speed limits, but across the crossroads junction it's England and that road is 30mph.' Crashmap.co.uk data shows four accidents on the Welsh section in the past five years, causing injuries to nine people.
