A NEW machine to catch speeding motorists in the Ribble Valley has been unveiled.

Police have been trained to use a laser speed gun after members of the public consistently complained about what they saw as a rise in the number of vehicles speeding through their villages.

Following consultation with the Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety, and working with the Road Safety group of the local Crime and Disorder Partnership, a speed detector has been acquired and will be used by local officers.

The hand-held device will be used to show police the extent of the speeding problem, as well as catching lawbreaking motorists.

Inspector Bob Ford, officer in charge of policing in the Ribble Valley, said that speed was a major concern for villagers.

He said: "Speeding in villages is the number one topic being raised at our surgeries and at public meetings. However, we do not yet know whether speed is a problem, or it is a mistaken perception.

"Several officers have received training in use of the hand-held speed detection device and we will be utilising the skills of our Community Support Officer to gather data across the borough."

Police community support officer Nigel Williams, who staffs the mobile police station which visits villages, will be undertaking speed checks as part of his routine patrols of the rural areas to gather data and assess the extent of the problem. Enforcement will be considered later if deemed necessary.

Town centres will also be targeted as complaints about 'boy racers' speeding around Clitheroe and Whalley increase. Insp Ford said: "Nigel's work will help us to establish the facts before we go any further. We will be feeding the data back to parish councils, and to the Highways Authority.

"We are responding to community concerns and hope that the long term result will be a reduction in complaints and collisions. The gathered data will also help to highlight the need for traffic management or other engineering work."

Insp Ford explained: "Speeding is an emotive subject at the moment, but by using this device we are simply responding to what the communities are telling us.

"There are drivers who openly flout the law, causing danger and nuisance to others, racing around the town centres, knowing that we have not got the equipment to tackle them. We have now, and we will be targeting these selfish individuals."