HUNDREDS of speeding motorists have been clocked by Flintshire volunteers during 2023.

The Leader has reported numerous times over the years on the hard work of Buckley's Community Speedwatch team, led by Cllr Arnold Woolley.

As 2023 draws to a close, we caught up with Cllr Woolley to find out how the year had been for his team - and how many speeders they recorded.

The annual figures for roadside activities during 2023 were inhibited by the coming into effect, nominally, of the stretches of 20mph speed limits - which Cllr Wooley made clear his team was instructed not to monitor. 

He explained: "That left us only monitoring just a few approved locations where the 30 or 40mph speed limits remained unchanged.

"That situation remained until we were stood down right across the board as it were on September 16. 

"As of today, we are still 'stood down' with no information as to if and whenever, CSW activities will be called upon by GoSafe to resume roadside speed monitoring."

Throughout the year, the speedwatch team carried out 78 Roadside Monitoring events.  

Those represented 363 volunteer hours, not counting the related administration work undertaken by Cllr Woolley.

During the 78 roadside events the team recorded 888 speeding motorists - compared to 2022 when more than 1,300 were recorded.

Cllr Wooley said: "No driver gets reported for doing just a mile or two over whatever the legal speed is for that location, because we work on legal speed plus 10 per cent plus one as being tolerable. 

"So in a 30mph spot, it is 30 plus three plus one - i.e. 34mph - which we let pass by without doing any recording.

"But, at 35mph that starts us taking down details. 

"For any 40mph location it is 45mph which we ignore, whereas 46mph will get you written down and reported.  

"Of the 888 number above, after I had checked them all through DVLA records, 840 of them were on record as being the make, type and colour we had set down on paper. 

"Those were then forwarded to GoSafe for cautionary letters to be sent out. 

"As for the other 48, we clearly do mis-read a number plate, despite having two radar gunners and two reorders at the roadside whenever we can.

"But there have been four occasions in the year when we have been dead certain that we got the number plate down correctly, yet there was no record for that number plate at DVLA. 

"Interestingly, all four were white vans. On one occasion, a saloon car lacked a front number plate. 

"The checking at DVLA also revealed that seven of our 888 had no current road tax, while six of them had no current MOT record and one was actually SORN (under a Statutory Off-Road Notice."

Cllr Woolley confirmed that the highest recorded speeds during the year were 59mph along the A541 in the 30mph stretch by Pontblyddyn Church, 58mph on the 30mph stretch of Raikes Lane in Mold and  51mph in the 30mph zone on the A5119 by Northop Cricket Club.

He said there were "plenty more in the 40 and 50mph readings aside from those top ones."