CONTINUING concern about speeding traffic in St Giles-on-the-Heath was aired at a public meeting on April 20.

"Despite the evidence of surveys and previous well-attended public meetings," Mr Ken Hamlyn, chairman of the parish council, said, "the parish council have been told by the Road Casualty Reduction Officer at Barnstaple Police Station that enforcement in St Giles by the Camera Safety Partnership is due to cease. This is unacceptable, and I have been to see our MP, Mr Geoffrey Cox, about it."

Two officers from Holsworthy Police Station had come to explain the police view. "The Camera Safety Partnership has been asked to continue its enforcement in St Giles and further data on traffic is being collected," PC Shepherd said, "The Road Casualty Reduction Officer will come to the parish annual general meeting to explain their future plans."

"Enforcement by Hols­worthy Police will continue," PC Moakes assured the meeting. "Before coming in, I monitored the A388 highway through St Giles with the LTI 20-20 laser gun. I observed 60 vehicles, of which three were over the limit. Two drivers got a fixed penalty for exceeding the limit and one a summons to court for excessive speed."

Two of the offenders lived in St Giles and two queried my right to stop and penalise them. Is some inconsistency in attitudes here? On the one hand residents criticise the police for not stopping speeding while on the other they speed through their own village and criticise the police for stopping them!

PC Shepherd agreed that the best available solution to the problem of crossing the A388 safely would be a controlled crossing. This is under investigation by Devon County Council.

Mr Hamlyn recognised that the ability of the police to patrol every village on their patch is limited and thanked the two officers for attending. He hoped residents would soon hear Devon County Council‚ plans for a safe crossing.