Speed checks through Warkworth

Posted on 07th June 2019 | in Community

Drivers passing through Warkworth are being warned to keep their speed in check as police step up their camera enforcement due to continued excessive speeding through the village.

In one of its first deployments on Beal Bank the cameras caught 61 speeders in just over three hours.

Cllr Jeff Watson and a speed camera van at the bottom of Beal Bank, Warkworth

The camera in the van captures high definition video of traffic travelling both north and south and can capture vehicles from 20 Metres up to 1km away. It can detect speeding drivers, anti-social driving such as seat belt offences, those disposing of litter and drivers using mobile phones behind the wheel.

The speed camera enforcement van had been deployed to the area by Northumbria Police in response to safety concerns from local residents and councillors about the high volume of fast moving traffic passing through the rural village.

Northumberland County Councillor for Amble West and Warkworth Jeff Watson has campaigned heavily for the mobile camera to be introduced.

He said: “Myself and the parish council have been working for years to try and reduce speeding in and out of the village.

“It’s been shown in the past that speed cameras can be one of the most effective ways of achieving this and it’s already helping slow down traffic in Warkworth.

“Reducing the speed of vehicles will greatly reduce the risk and severity of any potential accidents and make Warkworth a safer place for everyone.”

One of the officers from Northumbria Police’s Camera Enforcement Unit said: “The prevalence and consistency of excessively high speeds through this residential area is unacceptable.

“Working in close partnership with Northumberland County Council and the local community, the speed camera van was agreed as one of the most effective resource Northumbria Police had available to try to tackle the issue.

“It is hoped that the inclusion of the van in this area will make drivers think twice about speeding which will, in turn, make the road safer for not only themselves but also residents and visitors to the area.”

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7 thoughts on "Speed checks through Warkworth"

  1. Alan bell says:

    Shame the traffic wardens have been warned not to go to walkworth …. Especially the main street were cars are parked on the footpaths were yellow lines are….. Also ya not catching speeders in walkworth. Ya actually catching them coming down a hill ( beal bank ) were everyone knows as you go down hill you pick up speed…. Same as you catch them coming down the wynd .. another hill…… ..

  2. STAN IREDALE says:

    I wonder what the average speed was for those unfortunate 60 speeding drivers?. the thing that gets me is they’re not even policemen, they’re civvies. catching people going to work or coming back from work.

  3. Derek McRae says:

    The Camera Vans not even in the village ? It’s almost impossible to speed through the Actual village due to traffic.

  4. Mo says:

    Speed checks at Warkworth

    Spot on Elvis, Stan and Derek. They know one picks up speed going downhill and we accelerate uphill, it’s quite a steep hill, ’tis obvious they have deliberately positioned the van there. Anyway I thought it was illegal to park on footpaths, time they tackled this issue, another neat earner. If they are local people with nowt better to do, vigilante isnt a good time filler.

  5. Mo says:

    Amble and Warkworth are long in need of a bypass.

  6. Tea Dog says:

    Understand the animosity toward speed traps but unfortunately they need to be there because of… er (often excessively) speeding drivers. If you are driving up or down a hill it is pretty easy to maintain a constant speed simply by anticipating the road then using the brakes/clutch/gears as appropriate. That’s what they are there for! Rotary Way is an accident waiting to happen. You have a national speed limit between two 30 zones with 2 quite sizeable lay-by’s in the middle for good measure. As it’s a popular place to stop and admire the view you often see cars pulling in or out or slowing to look for a space while others are oblivious to the possible danger and regularly overtake ‘slow’ moving vehicles just because they are extremely impatient. It would make more sense if the stretch of road was, say, 40mph between the 30 zones- then the speed increase is gradual. Sorry if you think you are above the law but let me ask this:to all the people who drive around trying to be ‘cool’ by not indicating, tailgating others who are doing the speed limit already and so on: did anyone ever pass a driving test behaving like this?

  7. Dave Clark says:

    The speed camera situated at the coquet industrial estate would be fair enough if the approach to Amble before the roundabout was properly and clearly signed the 30mph speed sign is obscured by trees and an information sign and it’s also at a 45 degree aspect to the main road given that your approching a roundabout and attention is on traffic it should be correctly positioned

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