The Community Speed Watch scheme will return to Swindon on Monday after being temporarily postponed by the pandemic.

Across the county, there are 120 schemes operated by approximately 1,200 volunteers who regularly monitor the speed of traffic within their areas and provide Wiltshire Police with useful intelligence.

The current pandemic put on hold their usual work but some groups are returning now that lockdown has eased slightly, with adapted practices to adhere to social distancing and government guidelines.

Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon Jerry Herbert said: “This brings people together to act on their own concerns and monitor speeding in their communities. It is great to see them back out there, even with restrictions still in place.

“Volunteers work closely with community policing teams supported by the Special Constabulary Roads Policing Unit. All volunteers are trained by Traffic Management Policing Officers to monitor traffic speed and must comply with a code of practice.

“I know that road safety is a reoccurring concern for many communities across our county and I remain committed to reducing fatalities on our roads."

Deputy Chief Constable Paul Mills supported the return of the scheme and said a full risk assessment had been completed to adhere to government guidelines.

He said: “Over the past couple of weeks, our health and safety team have been conducting a detailed risk assessment to ensure that any recommencement of the scheme can be done safely and to mitigate any risk factors as a result of Covid-19.

“This includes assessments of each site to make sure social distancing measures can be adhered to, ensuring the provision of personal protection equipment and the development of new working procedures.

“I am pleased that we have been able to get to a position where CSW can recommence in this new environment. The schemes play a vital role in road safety across the county and have been missed within their local communities.

“We have seen an increase in reported speeding in recent weeks and the work of the schemes will compliment wider enforcement activity that our community and roads policing teams are undertaking on an ongoing basis.”

For more information, email: communityspeedwatch@wiltshire.pnn.police.uk