Okehampton Town Council agreed to promote a West Devon area speedwatch group on Monday (November 28) in order to create a more effective civilian speed control team.

Okehampton Town Councillor Tony Leech put forward the proposal suggesting that the council liaise with others in the area in the hope of establishing a speedwatch group that would cover the whole of the West Devon area, particularly around Okehampton.

He said: ‘The speedwatch and the issues we have around the town have come up quite a few times. But it’s not just the town which has speeding problems; it’s the parishes around the area.

‘We thought that instead of all the parishes trying to solve the problem individually, we thought it could be a good idea to gather around and spread out.’

The hope is that the area-wide speedwatch group would then carry out sessions in problem places across Okehampton and the surrounding area in order to provide a more co-ordinated response to speeding issues.

Though some individual parishes across the area have organised successful speedwatch groups, this has not been the case in others but Cllr Leech has said that a new intake of volunteers have been especially eager about the prospect.

The town council considered arranging presentations to take place in councils across the area to encourage as many as possible to band together and it was agreed that the town clerk would contact the other clerks to discuss this possibility.

Crediton Road and Exeter Road in Okehampton have been two of the most widely cited speeding spots in the town with several residents campaigning to make the road safer.

One Exeter Road resident described ‘taking your life into your hands’ when crossing the road while a St James Primary School mother has started a campaign to introduce a zebra crossing near the school on Crediton Road after she heard of several incidents in which a child was nearly hit by a speeding vehicle.

Meanwhile, Crediton Road resident Frankie Cox is putting pressure on the local police force and Devon County Council to put measures in place to reduce incidents of speeding.

Okehampton and Tavistock police have carried out several speeding operations in the area.

In July, officers recorded the speeds of 100 vehicles along Crediton Road with 41 travelling over the 30mph speed limit and 11 exceeding 35mph.

As part of the same operation, the 11 drivers were pulled over and offered the choice of a speeding ticket or a chance to speak to St James Primary School children.

All 11 chose to speak to the pupils who asked them questions such as: How would you feel if you had run me over? What would you say to my mum and dad if you had hit me? And, if I’d been crossing the road, can you imagine the sort of injuries I would have if you couldn’t stop in time?