A BUSY Suffolk village has become the latest community in the county to tackle the issue of speeding head-on.

Later this month Coddenham’s Community Speed Watch (CSW) scheme will be launched and residents will be giving up their own free time to make the village streets safer for everyone.

They have been helped in setting up the scheme by the Mid Suffolk Central Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) and are being trained to use speed detection equipment to help monitor through traffic.

The number plates of speeding vehicles are recorded and the drivers are then contacted by Suffolk Constabulary and issued with a written warning and advice.

If two written warnings are issued to a driver, the driver’s details will be passed to a Roads Policing Officer, with a view of targeted intervention or prosecution.

Pc Andy Pursehouse from the Mid Suffolk Central SNT said it had been “very satisfying” to assist villagers in establishing their own community speed watch scheme.

He said: “Speeding is an issue that is raised with us time and again and although we conduct regular checks in the area, this initiative empowers communities to work together with the police to make their towns and villages safer.”

Coddenham resident Tom Bowles is the volunteer co-ordinator for the scheme and explained that the village had very narrow streets which could be dangerous.

He said: “Many cars speed along the straight roads that head into the village which causes a problem for pedestrians. There are very few pavements, which only makes the problem worse.

“Speeding greatly affects the quality of life in Coddenham, so many of us were very keen to work with the police to establish a community speed watch scheme.”

There are now 21 CSW schemes in Suffolk, covering 329 sites.