A scheme to crackdown on speeding in picturesque Hampshire villages has scooped a major award.

County road bosses are celebrating after winning the Road Safety Scheme Award in the 2010 Highways Magazine Excellence Awards.

The award was given to the council for Hampshire County Council’s Village 30 project, a scheme that aimed to reduce speed limits and enhance quality of life in Hampshire villages.

Cllr Mel Kendal, executive member for environment, said: “Village 30 was a scheme that was important to both local residents and became a priority for the county council, requiring extensive commitment and investment.”

The winners were announced at a ceremony in London and the awards handed out by television presenter John Inverdale.

The entries were judged on the road safety issues addressed, the impact of the scheme on road safety and the value for money as well as the originality and the challenges that were overcome.

Village 30 was implemented in 112 villages, and initial tests show that there has been an average reduction in speeds of nine per cent and road traffic accidents in five villages have reduced by 81 per cent.

Government guidance suggests that all villages should have a 30mph speed limit, and to support the campaign, residents across the county were given Choose 30 wheelie bin stickers, and buses carried posters with the same message.