Norfolk villages plagued by speeding motorists saw hundreds of drivers clocked by community volunteers in the last 12 months.
Community Speed Watch groups across the county, predominantly in small towns and villages, captured 15,225 motorists over the speed limit in 2021 - the equivalent of 41 every day.
Although Speed Watch teams are not empowered to issue fines, the scheme – which sees volunteers armed with speed guns to carry out visible roadside patrols – has been hailed by police as an effective deterrent.
Registered vehicle owners whose vehicles are clocked breaking the speed limit have their details recorded and receive a warning letter requesting they keep their speed down.
Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information act reveal some village teams sent more than 1,000 warning letters to drivers in 2021.
Attleborough Community Speed Watch volunteers were most active, recording the highest number of speeders with 1,101 warning letters sent, followed by North Walsham with 1,051 and the Norwich suburb of Spixworth with 945.
The results came despite Covid lockdown regulations meaning teams were only able to resume monitoring at the end of March.
In smaller villages, the Speed Watch volunteers in Docking, which is on the busy B1454 Fakenham road, clocked 922 motorists breaking the speed limit.
Docking Parish Council said a Speed Awareness Monitoring (SAM) sign installed on the road between June to August had also recorded 54,219 motorists over the 30mph limit with the highest speed being 80mph.
Motorists speeding through villages have been identified as the focus of new Norfolk police campaigns aiming to make rural roads safer.
Chief constable Paul Sanford said the constabulary is exploring how to better use the information passed to them by Community Speed Watch groups to target hot-spots where speeding is rife.
"These drivers pose a danger to themselves, and other road users and we will always look to prosecute dangerous drivers where we can," he added.
Norfolk police and crime commissioner Giles Orpen-Smellie said speeding was regularly mentioned as plaguing rural areas in his public consultations.
He said: “We are looking to encourage the creation of more Community Speed Watch groups and we are going to look at how we can support these groups better.”
Other speeding hotspots identified in 2021 by active Speed Watch teams included Little Dunham, near Swaffham, which issued 711 warning letters, Great Massingham, which issued 525 and Fritton, on the busy A143 road to Great Yarmouth, with 517.
Across Norfolk, 79 Community Speed Watch teams carried out monitoring in 2021 though Covid measures limited the activities of some.
Fourteen stopped operating, 13 new teams started up and another 12 were being trained to begin in 2022.
In total 77,693 warning letters have been sent to speeders in the last six years.
‘We’re not little Hitlers’
Paul Stebbings, a parish councillor and member of Little Dunham Community Speed Watch, said the village had few pavements and limited street lighting which made people feel unsafe.
Its team of nine speed volunteers holds at least two checks a week lasting 90 minutes, longer than the hour session done by most groups.
He said: “We’re not little Hitlers who have nothing else to do and are subsumed with power when we put the yellow jackets on.
“All we are trying to do here is keep speeds down in our village and make it safer for everybody.
"We have no pavements and we have a long straight road through the village. We have a lot of children, mothers out with prams, dog walkers, cyclists, elderly people and so on, but since the lockdowns, it seems that people have reverted back to old habits and in some cases got a lot worse.”
One in seven motorists are found to be going over 35mph, he said.
“On a check last week volunteers clocked a new record speed through the village of 90mph in a 30mph,” he added.
“People doing over 50mph get referred to the engagement officer and then get either a letter or a visit from the police, and we are finding a lot more now in this category.
“It is a serious problem and although the police try and support us they just don’t have enough resources.”
How many warning letters Community Speed watch groups sent in 2021
Alburgh 174
Ashill 439
Attleborough 1101
Banham 85
Bawburgh 176
Beetley 57
Bergh Apton 24
Billingford 9
Bradenham 191
Bramerton 377
Bridgham 112
Burgh Castle 150
Caston 398
Coltishall 113
Crimplesham 87
Dickleburgh 40
Docking 922
Drayton 9
East Bilney 147
East Carlton 143
East Harling 143
Edgefield 228
Fakenham 3
Felmingham 134
Filby 201
Fincham 137
Fleggburgh 79
Frettenham 104
Fritton 517
Garveston 196
Gayton 243
Great Bircham 441
Great Ellingham 247
Great Massingham 525
Hales and Heckingham 349
Hedenham 77
Hempnall 11
Hethersett 55
High Kelling 13
Hillington 180
Hindringham 80
Hingham 3
Horstead 131
Ingoldisthorpe 31
Little Dunham 711
Little Melton 1
Ludham 31
Mattishall 57
North Lopham 3
North Runcton 66
North Walsham 1051
Oxborough 180
Panxworth 222
Poringland 16
Reepham 380
Roughton 16
Salhouse 24
Sculthorpe 4
Sedgeford 241
Sheringham 46
Shipdham 101
Shropham 160
Southery 251
South Repps 20
Spixworth 945
Stanhoe 66
Starston 181
Stoke Holy Cross 199
Swafield 11
Swanton Abbott 9
Swanton Morley 45
Syderstone 9
Tasburgh 7
Taverham 23
Terrington St John 82
Thornham 180
Tittleshall 29
Trimmingham 30
Trowse 4
Upwell and Outwell 68
Wacton 60
Walpole 16
Watton 61
Weeting 131
Welney 281
West Walton 250
Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen 72
Wymondham 3
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