A WREXHAM County Borough councillor for Chirk is hoping to set up a community speed watch group in a bid to stop drivers from speeding on a busy route in the area.

Councillor Frank Hemmings wants to work alongside residents in Pentre to reduce the number of cars speeding along the B5605 road which connects Chirk with Newbridge.

He is hoping to set up a group of residents who would volunteer to monitor the traffic with a speed-recording device to gather data regarding the speed of vehicles passing through.

Cllr Hemmings believes it would help to get a clearer picture on the problem of speeding on the busy route.

“We have already conducted speed analysis along the road with Chirk Town Council, and the average speed was within the 50mph limit,” he said. “But we still had vehicles occasionally speeding at about 70mph. So I have contacted GoSafe and told them I want to set up a community speed watch group.

“This would mean local people could work voluntarily to operate a speed camera in Pentre and Chirk. They wouldn’t be able to issue fines, but they could take down registration plate numbers and pass those onto the police.”

Cllr Hemmings believes if the problem of speeding still exists on the road, it could be a safety concern.

He added: “The thing that’s quite concerning is that children cross that road before and after school some days.

“We do think the worst of the speeding occurs in the early hours of the morning or late at night.

“But as long as we can collect the data, then warnings can be issued.

“We just want to do what we can. If we find there is a real problem, we can get police involved then.”