Campaigners have welcomed plans to put a stop to speeding on a notorious seafront road.

The new measures could put an end to meetings by car-cruising gangs and speeding drivers in Madeira Drive, Brighton.

Temporary barriers are already put in place at night whenever big cruising events are planned.

But they have not stopped cruisers going there without notice and travelling at speeds of up to 100mph and often putting lives in danger by stunts such as handbrake turns, wheelspins and skidding.

Now Brighton and Hove City Council is looking at putting in two gates to solve the problem.

One will be opposite the Colonnade and further away from the Aquarium roundabout than the present barriers, which can cause traffic congestion. The other will be at Duke's Mound, close to the eastern road entrance to Madeira Drive.

The environment committee on Thursday may also sanction, after consultation, putting in speed cushions at 75-metre intervals along the road.

They would have to be positioned so they could be taken up several times a year when the road is used for events, including the speed trials in September.

An action group of parents has asked the council to act following three fatal accidents and seven in which people were seriously injured.

Hundreds of people backed a campaign for tougher speed controls organised by the Madeira Drive Action Group, set up by Betty Gregory whose daughter, Lynsey Richmond, was killed in an accident there and Pauline Jordan, whose daughter, Harriet Jordan Wrench, was critically injured on the road in December 2000.

Ms Jordan said the move to install new barriers was "fantastic news".

She said: "At last the council is doing something about it. But I think a lot of accidents could have been avoided if it had been done long ago."

Councillors are also recommended to improve lighting on the stretch between Peter Pan's Playground and Duke's Mound.

Acting environment director Pat Foster said there were regular cruising events on the road with up to 70 cars.

There were also clubs where people spilled out at night, often drunk, without being aware of boy racers.

In a third of accidents, excessive speed was involved and a tenth involved drunken pedestrians or drivers.

Speed measurements taken on weekdays showed some cars were travelling along Madeira Drive between 80 and 100mph.

It was not possible to record speeds during weekend events because each time monitors were installed they were vandalised.