Just read in a local paper that volunteers from a village have been trained and armed with speed guns in the village of Beeford on the A165 to stop speeding motorists. It the first of a pilot scheme that could be used in other villages.         So what do you think about it.                                                                                                                                                                             

I for one think its a totally ridiculous idea and if any vigilante should point one at me I would be inclined to shove it where the sun don't shine!!                                                                                                                                                                              

I'm sure I heard something about this a while back... maybe it was somewhere else and now they're rolling it out to more places? I seem to remember seeing it on breakfast telly.

Stupid idea.

But then, people who speed through our villages are ignorant sods. What makes people figure that the 30 sign doesn't apply to them, so they continue travelling through our villages at over 70mph?

Maybe it might slow folk down a little, without tying up police time, who can go hoodie-hunting or something?

I think the reality is more likely to be as BSH suggests however, and there'll be a sudden increase in the number of little old ladies being bashed instead.

A scheme like this was trialed and for all I know is ongoing at Langford in Essex. I have to pass through it to go to my caravan and it's subject to a 40 mph limit. However, they had no powers to stop only to record anyone speeding and report it to the fuzz. All they could do was write to the motorist/motorcyclist in question or set up a speed trap if they passed through at regular times. I don't think the villagers often operate speed traps and on the one occasion I saw them do it, they were mob handed. I suspect they had been intimidated by irate road users.

If the villagers in East Yorkshire try to stop anyone, they'll probably end up having to jump out the way or get a smack. While I think we should comply with speed limits in built-up areas (they're there for a reason) vigilante tactics should be treated with the contempt that they deserve.

Let's shake things up a little - swap speed guns for spear guns...                                                                                                                                                                              

Big Brother is watching us,almost like the *Stasie* is'nt it?                                                                                                                                                                             

I guess the only way the police will get involved, is if there are repeated instances of speeding, recorded by these vigilantes. Can't see it making much difference tbh. As said, folk shouldn't be speeding thro 30's anyway.                                                                                                                                                                             

Village life can be quite boring .......................   Think they shud swap speed guns for spray tans  woul dprove interesting lol                                                                                                                                                                             

Was on Telly few weeks back. The residents only record the speed and reg. If you keep getting recorded the police send you a letter and If you still continue They will be round for a chat. Better than getting a ticket. But whos to say with new technology a mobile speed trap wont be issued to them.   They are intended for busy times when there are lot of kids going to and from school.   I dont mind in villages as I tend to stick to the limit in 30s                                                                                                                                                                             

Heard on the radio about this. Apparently it was done in a village somewhere a while back and the only people they caught speeding were a couple of the locals themselves. Too many people with time on their hands better spent watching daytime tv. If they stayed indoors surely thats safer than leaping out of bushes pointing things at people.                                                                                                                                                                             

Last time I leapt out of the bushes pointing things at someone, I ended up with a restraining order !!!                                                                                                                                                                              

Living on a narrow village road close to a biker stop I know that most of you guys are respectful riders. . .but those who treat us like a speedway ruin it. Never mind the speed guns. .I'm with TeeCee on this one. . .spear guns sound like lots more fun                                                                                                                                                                             

Mr P at least you can fit behind a bush would need an entire hedge to mask my butt !!!                                                                                                                                                                             

My other half is in Somerset and going to his village they have a whole host of locals in yellow jackets with 'community speed watch' on them (Langport way).  Made me jump more than anything - though it was a mass escape of the local Tesco trolley boys lol

i like the signs that show your speed just to pre warn you....we had one in our village...it only went up to 99 mph....spoil sports                                                                                                                                                                             

LOL - they're not just in villages (where you can't really argue with them)   There's one at the bottom of Fish Hill, Nr. Evesham, if you can't light that one, you're really not trying                                                                                                                                                                             

thats just down the road from me! if i see some vindictive little waer pointin one of tho's speed guns at my bike or car id run the fker over! even if im not speeding and another thing, its a POLICE issue if the lazy bards cant be bothered to put the time and man power in then its tough luck for them and the miserable twts that in habit the village. Why is it that schemes simular to this are appering all over the country when speeding is regarded as a minor offence as long as its not over 100mph or equivalent depending on the speed limit of the road, when every day old ladies are being mugged in the streets houses are being burgled and paedo's are roaming freely over the internet what amazing schemes are they doing about them? Well there not doing nearly enough about them because there too busy penalising motorists and some police forces are even heavily committed to harasing bikers (north wales police for example). dont get me wrong the police in this country do a pretty good job at preventing REAL crime i just think they could do so much more if the policing policys werent so misguided. A police officer told me a few years ago that they uphold the law rather then enforce it that seems to have changed now, sadly.

Yorkie this would make a good post in the random rant thread..but you go for it anyway get it out of your system lol                                                                                                                                                                             

Doesn't worry me at all to be honest.  Firstly, as others have suggested, a member of the public can do little other than write to the Police with your details and they can't do you unless there's actual evidence proving your wrong doing. Also I presume these people are made to wear yellow jackets whilst doing this?  Otherwise I'd suggest the local Police are in contravenence of the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 2002 and could find themselves in very deep water if one of these members of public was injured by a passing vehicle in any way.   So why bother, after all as I've found myself at times of doing totally pointless roadside speed surveys, people don't tend to speed past people who are a: wearing yellow jackets and b: pointing speed guns at them!  The number of RSSs that I've seen that just so happen to show an 85th percentile of traffic below the speed limit!!                                                                                                                                                                             

beeford is a little vilage on a major rd to sea side so it so no suprise that they get fed up with speeders being on a straight rd dont help them either   wot worries me is how they take the proof do they take a photo of just log the speed and write it on paper coz if not photo proof how do we know they not just saying ur speeding when you were not ! its open to fiddleing  by the local Naighbur hoody whatch group wanting to stop people riding though there vilages