I AM heartened by your report “Community speed signs given cautious welcome” (Echo, March 20) that indicated 70 parishes and leading members of North Yorkshire County Council are attempting to take some action against speeding motorists.

I wish my local county councillors were as diligent but you can’t find them with a search light.

Although insurance costs will probably rule out the use of VAS (vehicle activated signs), I would respectfully suggest that they would not deter perennial speedsters. As a result of recent legislation to protect civilian speed camera operators, I wonder if the launch of Community Speed Watch could also be beset by insurance matters?

Speeding in our village, High Pittington, Durham is rife. I have tried for over a year to get Durham Police to take some meaningful action, e.g. the issue of Fixed Penalty Notices but unfortunately we have witnessed the frailties of the police in the service of such notices ie data gathered by the Home Office, showed that nationwide 250,000 speed tickets were cancelled by the police for the year ended March 2017 – a lot due to police errors. At £100 a shot that could amount to £25m and thousands of speedsters “let off the hook”.

I am happy to say North Yorkshire force performed better than most.

However, it has been necessary to submit a Freedom of Information request to obtain Durham’s results. The outcome is awaited.

E McKeown, High Pittington