West Suffolk: Police crackdown on speeders waged

The action being taken by members of the safer neighbourhood team (SNT) covering the rural area to the north of Bury St Edmunds has come about after residents voiced their concerns.

Police are targetting speeding motorists in Great Barton, Sapiston, Honington, Hopton and Barnham.

Already, officers have dished out 34 endorsable fixed penalty notices to speeding drivers, four notices for seatbelt offences and 53 verbal warnings.

One driver is now being prosecuted for speeding after being recorded travelling at over 50mph in a 30mph zone.

In addition to police enforcement, residents in Stanton are working with the SNT to organise a community-based speed watch scheme whereby volunteers are trained to use speed detection equipment to monitor the speed of passing motorists and record the number plates of speeding vehicles.

Drivers found to be going too fast 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.

Police community support officer Jon Burke said: “Residents are often telling us that speeding can be a problem in their local village.

“After making it a priority at our last community priority setting meeting, we have conducted a great deal of enforcement and managed to educate many drivers about their speed as well as simply issuing fixed penalty notices. “The proposition of a community speed watch scheme means that we can assist local residents in tackle speeding issues within their communities in the long-term, so we urge anybody interested in taking part, or establishing their own scheme to get in contact with us.”

A public meeting to organise the Stanton community speed watch scheme will be held on March 15 the at Stanton Church Rooms at 7pm.

Anyone interested in becoming a community speed watch volunteer is invited to attend.