Shailesh Vara MP organised a meeting with Darryl Preston, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire and members of Bainton Parish Council, along with other local residents to discuss speeding concerns in the village.

This followed on from a previous meeting that Mr Vara had in May 2023 which also discussed speeding vehicles through the village.

Bainton Parish Council has invested in Autospeedwatch, a fully automated system which monitors the speed of vehicles passing through the village. It is managed by volunteers from the village.

The meeting discussed ways in which the volunteers can work more closely with the police to help deter speeding drivers.

It was made clear to Mr Preston that the issue was not one of punishing drivers, but instead of educating them to change their behaviour, to drive in a more responsible and considerate manner through Bainton, as well as neighbouring villages.

Mr Preston agreed to take the matter further with the leadership of Cambridgeshire Constabulary.

Following the meeting, Mr Vara said:

“I am grateful to Darryl for taking the time to visit Bainton and hear the concerns of local residents concerning speeding.

“Some of the drivers are well above the speed limits and it is important that they appreciate the need to slow down and drive in a more considerate and responsible way when driving through Bainton and other rural areas.

“I am very pleased that Darryl will take this up with his colleagues at the Cambridgeshire Constabulary and we look forward to continuing engagement with him and his colleagues on this important matter.”

Andrew Totten, spokesman for the volunteers said:

“We had a constructive meeting with Mr Preston where we discussed the issue of speeding in rural villages and Bainton in particular. We very much hope we can continue these discussions with a view to finding some potential solutions in the near future.”

Photo: (round the table, starting bottom left) Shailesh Vara MP, Andrew Totten, Daryl Preston, Police and Crime Commissioner, Clive Haylett, Rob McNeish, Susie Lucas (Chairperson Bainton Parish Council), PC Nick Southern and Irene Walsh.