People are calling for the speed limit on a busy road to be cut before someone is seriously injured.

James Willison, 51, and others started a petition asking for a review of the speed limit on the A225 Dartford Road, Dartford, between Farningham Road station and Farningham roundabout.

He said none of them understood why this stretch had a 60mph speed limit when surrounding roads were either 30mph or 40mph.

Mr Willison is concerned about the many elderly people and families with young children who live in the 50 houses along the road.

The closest pedestrian crossing is more than a mile away near Farningham Road station.

He said: “On one side there is a footpath which goes along the road for quite a long way but people can not walk down there because there are no lights and the path is uneven and muddy.

“People walk on the verge next to the road but on parts of that you have to cross over to the other side, which isn’t safe when cars are doing 60 miles an hour, so you are forced to walk in the road.”

The petition, started a month ago, has more than 150 signatures.

Mr Willison was due to present it to the borough councillor for Sutton-at-Hone and Hawley ward, Patrick Coleman, this week, to be passed on to Kent County Council.

Cllr Coleman supports the petition and has told Mr Willison he is happy to also pass a copy to Dartford MP Gareth Johnson and Sevenoaks MP Michael Fallon.

A spokesman from Kent County Council said: “We have to make tough decisions on where to improve traffic and road safety in local areas.

“This means we have to say ‘no’ more than we’d like, especially if the request won’t reduce casualties.

"We look at the sites most in need of improvement first, which have the support of the whole community.”

It advises residents to visit www.crashmap.co.uk to see if there have been any crashes in the past three years that resulted in personal injury.

If there have, they need support from a district, parish or county councillor.

“There cannot be a review if the councillor does not support one. The councillor then needs to contact KCC.

“Within 20 working days of the request, the council will let the councillor know if it can be taken any further.”

Mr Willison said: “I understand there have been 17 crashes with 32 casualties on this stretch of road since 2005 according to the crash map.

"What can be done to reduce this number as we are all facing life threatening situations all through the year with the speed of this traffic?”