VOLUNTEERS clocked more than 150 speeders over the course of their first month back on duty - and observed a number of worrying behaviours.

The Buckley Community Speedwatch team was asked to resume activities at the beginning of May, including monitoring in the town's 20mph locations. 

Cllr Arnold Woolley, the team's co-ordinator, said: "On covering the 20mph locations during the month we have recorded 159 speeders, with top speeds of 61mph on Alltami Road by Middle Common Lane, 51mph on Jubilee Road going past the retirement bungalows at Jubilee Court and 48mph on the A594 by Colliers’ Lane. 

"We have also recorded two vehicles which were clearly on false plates. 

"Hopefully GoSafe will ensure that those become entries on the ANPR system, so that they will get picked up eventually.

"Nothing much has changed by way of driver bad behaviour since we were stood down last September; lots of tailgating, lots of use of mobile phones held up to ears, several not wearing seatbelts and a half-dozen or more busy using smart phones."

Over the last month, the team even saw one motorist driving along, "tapping away" on a laptop which was balanced on their steering wheel.

Cllr Woolley continued: "These people are basically driving dangerously, whether it's the tailgating, the speeding, not using signals; it is risky.

"The figures I have indicated - one of which was doing 61 down Alltami Road and that idiot flying past Jubilee Court - what on earth is in their mind?

"In August this year, the team will have been involved in this for eight years.

"And what we've seen is a deterioration in the standard and quality of driving.

"All of this means the sober, non-drug using, competent drivers need to be doubly awake because there's an awful lot of people on the road with their minds full of other things than what's legal."