A 20MPH speed limit could be imposed on the main road through a village after a woman was killed when a coal lorry crashed through the wall of her home.

Transport chiefs are considering reducing the speed limit on the A78 through Fairlie in North Ayrshire from 30mph to 20mph, along with a range of possible measures to improve safety.

The move followed a detailed ­assessment of the type and volumes of traffic, driver behaviour and speed on the route, with findings expected in the next few weeks.

It comes almost exactly seven months after the death of 55-year-old Catherine Bonner, who was in the front room of her home in the seaside village on February 14 when a coal truck crashed through the gable end of the property, leaving her fatally injured beneath the rubble.

Her partner, Jim McColl, also 55, had been at the back of the house and survived, while upstairs neighbours were out at the time. Reconstruction of the Main Street property is on hold while insurance claims are made and there remains a question mark over the cause of the crash.

Last month, police submitted a report to the ­procurator-fiscal but so far no decision has been reached on whether there are grounds for a criminal prosecution. Until such a move can be ruled out, it is unlikely the go-ahead will be given for a Fatal Accident Inquiry - though many people in the community are calling for one.

Residents had long complained of a high volume of coal lorries, which travel to and from the nearby Hunterston Coal Terminal, on the narrow stretch of the A78 through the village.

The driver involved in the fatal crash was working for Stirling-based Fergusson Coal at the time and had been ­heading to Hunterston to make a collection.

Steve Graham, chairman of Fairlie Community Council, warned that lessons are still not being learned. He said: "[The crash] is still very much in people's minds because we have no answers yet. And I think until we get some answers as to why it happened, it will always remain an issue."

Alex Gallagher, Labour councillor for the village, said: "There is still concern about the volume of coal lorries passing through, but residents are not so much frustrated as just wondering why it is taking so long getting to the bottom of what happened."

A spokesman for the Fergusson Group said: "Our haulage requirements are met through a number of independent contractors. Those hauliers are responsible for the selection of routes they utilise in order to fulfil their commitments."

A spokeswoman for Transport Scotland said: "Since the tragic accident at Fairlie we have been working with our partners to see how we can improve speed management on the route.

"We have speed-detection equipment on-site at the moment and our operating company will analyse the data in the next few weeks."