VILLAGERS in Olveston have been armed with a laser speed gun as part of a crack down on drivers who ignore the 30mph limit.

With police backing, local resident Bob Tippetts and a posse of volunteers have launched a Speed Watch initiative aimed at encouraging drivers to ease off the pedal through the dangerously constricted and busy village.

"There's been quite a lot of concern about vehicle speeds through Olveston and we think this scheme could be the answer," said rural beat manager PC Paul Chorley.

"The village is used as a rat run to and from the old Severn Bridge. If drivers see that speeds are being monitored on a fairly regular basis and that they're running the risk of prosecution then it's bound to help get the message across."

Mr Tippetts, an Olveston Primary School governor, said: "The speed of traffic through the village have been a matter of concern to the parish council for years and years so now we're going to try and do something about it.

"The school has started a walk to school scheme but some children and parents have been deterred by vehicle speeds."

The two-person monitoring teams - fully kitted out in high visibility reflective coats - will be checking traffic speeds from police-approved sites in and around the village.

The volunteers have had training from the police so they know exactly what they're doing.

Details of speeding vehicles are passed to police who write to the keeper with a reminder to drive more responsibly in future. If the same vehicle is recorded on a second occasion, the driver gets another letter containing a final warning.