Pupils aim to catch speeding drivers

Children armed themselves with speedguns on a busy road near their school in an effort to get drivers to slow down.

Year-six pupils at Coddington Primary School worked with police community support officers and volunteers to run their own Speedwatch campaign on Friday afternoon.

They were positioned on Beckingham Road, a main route through the village, connecting Newark and the A17.

The village’s Speedwatch volunteers are out two to three times a week to target people breaking the 40mph limit.

Offenders caught by the speedgun have their details sent to the police. If drivers are caught three times in a certain time period they are contacted by police.

Mr Chris Gangle, a parish councillor, said students had taken an interest in the Speedwatch programme around the school.

“We have been out with the speedgun at times when children have been going to and from school and it has piqued some of their interest, so we decided to invite them over and teach them how to catch people,” he said.

“The problem we have is the road goes from a 50mph limit to 40mph, but a lot of people don’t know the need to slow down.

“It is about making them aware of the problems we have with speeding and try and raise awareness to get people to drive slower.

“There is a school nearby and children are walking past these roads daily, which makes it extremely important.”

He said in a typical 45-minute session, they normally caught eight to ten drivers.

PCSO Katie Hyde covers the Newark rural north area, which includes Coddington.

She said speeding was one of the major talking points in her role.

“I think it is Coddington’s biggest issue because it is a main road that affects a lot of people,” she said.

“Given the footfall, anyone who speeds is taking a big risk.

“Some of those who are speeding have children at the school, and if the worst were to happen it would be devastating and change so many people’s lives.

“Having a bit more patience and being prepared to take more time will make a difference.”

She said Speedwatch had seen positive results in many areas.

“I deal with the administration for Speedwatch and it has been rolled out to a lot of villages, and everything is coming back with good results and having the impact we want,” she said.

“It is a way of supporting the community and helps to create a safer environment for them to live in.”

Coddington primary head Tamsin Caputa said: “A lot of children walk to school and we are fortunate that we do have a crossing for them to cross the road.

“We were also very pleased when we got the speed limit reduced from 50mph, but people do speed.

“We have to do a lot of assemblies on safety with the children and have junior safety officers to make them aware.

“It is less of a problem now, but in winter when it is dark it can be a lot more dangerous.”

The MP for Newark, Mr Robert Jenrick, showed his support for the Speedwatch initiative.

“Speeding is a problem in our area particularly in our villages,” he said.

“People do drive too fast. It is something we all do at times but we need to think about the consequences.”