Concerns have been raised over speeding in a small Suffolk village on the A1120 after a survey revealed that it was a speeding hotspot in the county.

Earl Stonham, near Stowmarket, was found to have one of the highest numbers of speeding letters issued in a county scheme in its first year. 

The Suffolk County Council trial set up ten Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) Speed Indicator Devices (SIDs), rotated around sites affected by speeding, and 1,700 letters were sent in its time in the village.

Mark Gillett, chairman of the Earl Stonham parish council, said: “It is concerning that we were one of the highest recorded, but I don't think there is an easy solution. It would be great if people just respected the speed limit.

“It is a narrow road in parts, and we only have pavement for short stretch and for the rest of the A1120 there is no pavement, so people often have to walk in the road.

“Schoolchildren get the school bus on the village green, so some children may have to walk on unpaved stretches of road. Speed is an issue for that, and people also need to be careful when pulling out of driveways and side roads.”


 

East Anglian Daily Times:

There has also been a Suffolk Highways survey in November, which showed that 17 per cent of drivers exceeded 35mph in Earl Stonham, the level at which enforcement action would be taken.

The survey, which took place between November 12 and 18, found that less than half (45 per cent) of vehicles were travelling at less than the 30mph speed limit, and another 38 per cent recorded between 30 to 34mph.

During the time of the survey, there was an overnight closure of the A14 with traffic diverting along the A1120.

Mr Gillett added: “We have the signs but people who speed choose to ignore that. Ideally, we would like a speed camera but I also think that many other places in Suffolk would also like one. It is a problem, but it is a problem elsewhere too."