VOLUNTEERS are being asked to get involved in a new SpeedWatch scheme.

This comes as efforts are made to slow down motorists in Whitehill and Bordon and increase pedestrian safety.

East Hampshire district councillor for Whitehill’s Walldown ward Adam Carew (Con) said he was liaising with police to set up SpeedWatch on rat runs in Whitehill and Bordon. These will be focused on Walldown, Liphook, Hollywater and Hogmoor roads.

“We are looking for volunteers who are prepared to be trained to man the cameras,” Mr Carew said.

“New speed devices that count down speeds are also being trialled in Hogmoor Road. This is about speed education but motorists caught speeding more than once will be offered points or a speed-awareness course which they pay for.”

SpeedWatch is a community initiative that can take place in 20mph, 30mph and 40mph zones.

Once set up, schemes are managed by the police but run by volunteers who use equipment to monitor and record the speed of passing traffic, which is added to a database. Vehicle checks are then done by police and letters are sent to the registered keepers advising them of the speed infringement.

In East Hampshire, Community SpeedWatch was pioneered in Selborne, which has a 20mph limit, in 2012. SpeedWatch is seen as the first tier in the police’s response to speeding and is said to be about education not enforcement. Mr Carew also told the Bordon Herald that new crossings will be created in Forest Road to “help facilitate pedestrian access and slow traffic”.

For more details about SpeedWatch, call Mr Carew on 01420 769098.