Campaigners welcome funding bid for police to tackle dangerous drivers

Kirklees Councillor Mark Thompson (Con, Birstall and Birkenshaw) has contacted the other councillors in Batley and Spen wards proposing they all donate some of their ward funds to paying for extra police and traffic warden patrols.

The move follows months of meetings and protests organised by Reclaim Our Area’s Roads (ROAR) in response to mounting concern over speeding cars and nuisance drivers.

One of the group’s founders, dad-of-three Nigel Harnell, welcomed the news.

He said: “All we want at the end of the day is for people to be able to walk through Batley and not have to dodge cars and to be able to take their dogs for a walk without being killed.”

He said speeding in North Kirklees is happening far too often.

“It’s is a grown to be a habit and we need to break it,” he said.

Coun Thompson praised ROAR for highlighting the issue.

He said: “It has been a polite and well-mannered campaign and it’s been very positive.

”I’d like to see councillors getting together now. It’s an opportunity for councillors in the five wards to be able to do something that is joined up.”

His idea is that the money could be used to target speeding and dangerous parking, moving around different areas on a weekly basis.

The situation would be reviewed to see what impact the patrols were having.

Last week councillors, including Coun Thompson, and MP for Batley and Spen Kim Leadbeater joined police and traffic wardens to look at how vehicles parking on pavements were causing problems in Batley. Five vehicles were given parking tickets.

A targeted patrol in Gomersal, also last week, resulted in four drivers being reported for speeding.

ROAR has been holding regular protests at speeding blackspots in the district since July.