ALMOST 1,700 speeding motorists were clocked by Buckley volunteers in 2021, it has been confirmed.

The town's Community Speedwatch team, which also covers some parts of Argoed, Mold and Mynydd Isa, put in 115 roadside sessions last year.

In total, 748 hours of work saw the team record a total of 1,689 speeding vehicles.

Of those, 1,584 had their details sent to GoSafe so a cautionary letter could be issued to them.

Those figures gave the team a roadside accuracy level of 93.4 per cent, which was safely above its 90 per cent target.

Cllr Arnold Woolley, who leads the team, confirmed that during the year the highest speeds recorded were 84mph in the 40mph zone by Padeswood Cement Works and 73mph on Bryn Road near Argoed School at 3.15pm.

He explained: "We have been doing this for some five-and-a-half years and the greatest number of speeders appearing in any one hour are clearly during the going-to-work times in the morning and going home time in the evening.

"The 73 miles per hour was literally on the road leading past Argoed School - what's in people's minds?

"They have no sense of potential hazard.

"Our message is very simple; we wish for safety on the roads for everyone who is using them, and that means pedestrians, dog walkers, cyclists and motorists themselves."

The team's reporting also found up that of those 1,689 speeders, 31 were without current Road Tax, 30 were without current MOT certificates and 3 were on record with Statutory Off the Road Notifications.

Cllr Woolley added: "Over the last five-and-a-half years I’ve seen that the speeding figures we're reporting have come down.

"We like to think as a team that our work at the roadside, which is intended to be helpful and non-punitive, may have prevented an accident or two."

The Community Speedwatch team returned to the roadside on January 5, after being stood down over Christmas and New Year.