STOCKBRIDGE is to be one of the first parishes to take part in a scheme in which villagers will be clocking speeding drivers.

Trained volunteers will stand alongside speed indicator devices, recording the registration numbers of vehicles which cause them to flash.

Wearing high-visibility jackets and identity badges, they will work in pairs, two hours at a time.

The county council will pass their information onto the police, who will write to the registered owner of the vehicle, enclosing road safety information specifically relating to speed.

Community Speed Watch, which begins a year's trial this month, is part of a new partnership between the county council's road safety team, Hampshire Constabulary's roads policing unit and parish councils.

Stockbridge's involvement in the scheme came about as a result of parish council concerns over speeding in the village and a request to the county council for action.

"Speeding is probably the one law that most drivers have broken at one time or another. We want people to realise that flouting the law, even by just a few miles an hour, isn't acceptable on our roads," said Jonathan Glen, who is the executive county councillor for environment.

"Community Speed Watch gives people an active role in highlighting the potential dangers of speeding on our roads." Sergeant Mike Streeter, from the roads policing unit, said: "Speeding can have a devastating effect on communities, especially if someone is killed or seriously injured.

"You're twice as likely to kill someone at 35mph as you are at 30mph.

"Community Speed Watch allows us to tackle problems, which affect neighbourhoods by empowering the residents to help us gather information about the severity of the problem.

"Working in partnership with communities and Hampshire County Council, the RPU is in a better position to be able to act on information obtained, helping to reduce casualties."

The partnership approach is part of a national campaign which started six years ago with the aim of reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured in road traffic accidents by 40 per cent by 2010; halving the number of children killed or seriously injured and achieving a 10 per cent reduction in slight casualties.

Community Speed Watch was launched at Lyndhurst on Wednesday and other villages participating in the pilot scheme are Crondall and Hambledon.