Nearly 2,000 drivers were given letters of warning for speeding through our villages last year.

Almost 1,900 warning letters were sent out by the nine individual Norfolk Constabulary Community Speed Watch (CSW) teams across Dereham over the last calendar year.

These volunteers contact motorists exceeding the speed limit in the area in which they carried out checks.

In our area, there are Community Speed Watch Groups in Little Dunham, Reepham, Galveston, Bradenham, East Bilney, Shipdham, Mattishall, Beetley, Swanton Morley, and Billingford.

Between them, they issued 1,894 letters to motorists going over the speed limit - working out to around six letters a day.

The highest number of letters were issued by Little Dunham, which sent out 711 letters, putting it way ahead of the next highest, 380 in Reepham.

The lowest figure came from Billingford, which only sent out nine letters over the course of the year.

Across Norfolk, Community Speed Watch groups captured 15,225 motorists over the speed limit in 2021 - the equivalent of 41 every day.

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

  • Little Dunham 711
  • Reepham 380
  • Garveston 196
  • Bradenham 191
  • East Bilney 147
  • Shipdham 101
  • Mattishall 57
  • Beetley 57
  • Swanton Morley 45
  • Billingford 9