VOLUNTEERS will be able to record vehicle registration numbers and send out warning letters to speeding motorists after launching a town’s first DriveSafe scheme.

Residents in the Hertford Road area of Stevenage have been trained by the police to operate an electronic speed indication display sign which flags up drivers going faster than the 30mph limit.

The project was launched yesterday (Wednesday) and aims to warn motorists against speeding by recording registration numbers and then contacting the registered driver.

Repeat offenders run the risk of a visit from the police and being targeted by their ticketing patrols under the initiative, devised by Hertfordshire police and crime commissioner David Lloyd

The introduction of DriveSafe follows a 200-strong petition from residents and a traffic survey which found 52 per cent of drivers exceeded the speed limit on Hertford Road, with a motorcyclist recording the top speed of 86mph.

Stuart Barnes, the scheme’s coordinator, said: “It is part of our campaign for permanent traffic-calming measures to be installed. We are seeking to put the brake on those drivers who choose to ignore the limit by making them aware of the dangers involved in speeding and of the annoyance they cause to residents of this area.”