Villagers in south Warwickshire record hundreds of speeding drivers – with some going as fast as 70mph

Villagers from Lower and Upper Brailes in south Warwickshire formed the group last year after being concerned with reckless driving in their village for many years.

Working alongside the Warwickshire Police Road Safety Unit, the Community Speed Watch group use speed monitoring equipment and conduct speed watch events in the village.

The group was formed after static speed cameras along the village’s main road (B4035) recorded thousands of speeding motorists travelling through each month.

A spokesperson for the Community Speed Watch group said: “On average 45,000 vehicles travel through the village every month and 7,000 of these exceed the legal speed limit. This equates to an average of 230 vehicles speeding every single day.

“A large proportion of traffic is recorded entering the village between 7am and 9am and again between 4pm and 6pm, this suggests it is non-village commuter traffic. Speeds of up to 70mph have been recorded on the cameras through a village!”

Since forming the Community Speed Watch group, around 500 vehicles have been registered on the police database for speeding.

There has also been an increase in police traffic enforcement vehicles in the village, which have helped to discourage motorists from driving dangerously.

As well as recording speeding drivers, these police vehicles contain technology that can detect whether a driver is not wearing a seatbelt or using a mobile phone.

The group now intends to work with other village Community Speed Watch groups and Warwickshire County Council’s highways team to further improve upon speed reduction methods in the village.