HAMPSHIRE'S police chief has vowed to consult senior officers over calls for average speed cameras on the road where four New Forest ponies were killed.

Donna Jones, the county's new Police and Crime Commissioner, visited the Forest to discuss a raft of issues, including rural crime and anti-social behaviour.

During her tour she met the leader of the district council, Cllr Edward Heron, and the Official Verderer, Lord Manners.

They debated calls for speed cameras to be installed on the B3078 Roger Penny Way, one of the worst routes in the Forest for animal accidents.

Four ponies were killed by a Land Rover Discovery last December - the same month in which three donkeys and two sheep died in two other accidents on the same route.

The Discovery driver was complying with the 40mph speed limit - but checks carried out since have shown that many other motorists are flouting the restriction.

Cllr Heron said he and Lord Manners set out some of the measures taken to reduce the number of animal accidents in the Forest.

He added: "The B3078 Roger Penny Way has one of the worse casualty records.

"Traffic monitoring has also identified this route as experiencing very high levels of speeding, one recent survey recording nearly 50% of vehicles exceeding the 40mph limit.

"Donna expressed concern about the number of casualties and recognition of the need to find new ways to work together to further reduce the number of animal injuries and deaths.

"She reiterated that the reduction in human casualties will always be the top priority for the police.

"However, she undertook to consult with her team and senior police officers and provide a response to our request for ‘in-principle’ support as soon as possible.

"I appreciate some may be disappointed at this further period of deliberation by the police, but I do not think it unreasonable for Donna, who was only first elected to the role of Commissioner in May, to need to consult with her advisers before reaching a decision.

"I felt it was a very useful meeting and I am hopeful of a positive outcome.

"Should the Constabulary agree to offer their support, there will still be a long way to go before a system is implemented.

"The next step will be to commission a full feasibility study, which is likely to cost around £30,000.

"While many organisations have pledged support, they have done so on the clear understanding that no, or very limited funding can be made available.

"For example, the county council has limited funding for human road casualty reduction measures and this budget cannot further constrained by funding this or similar projects."

Speaking after her visit Donna Jones said: "I really enjoyed meeting with the Forestry Commission, with the mounted patrol volunteers and also with the police and residents across the New Forest to hear about the really strong sense of community spirit, but also hearing feedback on issues to do with the safety of animals in relation to speeding traffic, anti-social behaviour and theft.

“We know that rural residents are feeling increasingly vulnerable to being the victims of crime and can feel neglected by police in favour of urban centres.

"Much is being done to increase capacity and capability to deal with crime in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight’s rural areas, including mobile CCTV, drone technology, increasing numbers of police officers and having a more visible presence.

"I would also urge residents to please keep reporting crime, it is only by knowing when and how frequently incidents are happening that the right level of resourcing can be allocated.”