IT'S time to get tough on speeding drivers Colwall Parish Council heard this week.

From now on, people caught speeding and parking on pavements will be ticketed and fined, according to Sgt Russ Winfield of West Mercia Police.

He was reporting back to the council after several months of police checks in the village, which do not seem to have reduced traffic offences.

He said over the last five months police had handed out 23 speeding tickets to people driving through the village at over 40mph and issued verbal warnings to others breaking the 30mph limit. Tickets were also issued to people using mobile phones while driving.

"The police presence seems to have been noticed but there's been no major reduction in the amount of speeding," said Sgt Winfield.

Parish councillors said speeding was particularly bad in the early morning and evening, when cars and lorries came through the village at 60mph.

"It's time to get tough on these people. No more Mr Nice Guy," said Coun Steve Hockett.

Cars parked on pavements and near road junctions obstructing pedestrians and other traffic was also a growing problem, the meeting heard.

Sgt Winfield agreed to put flyers on the windscreens of illegally parked cars as an initial measure, but agreed it was time to issue fixed penalty notices if the problem continued.

"We need to get the message across to driver that in Colwall they won't get away with breaking the law," said Coun Hockett.

He said it was appalling that someone had to be killed in Colwall before the village could be considered a priority for traffic-calming measures.

Other issues discussed included the recent shooting of ducks in the village. No one has yet been charged.

It was also agreed that the council would work with the Campaign to Protect Rural England to produce a Community Landscape Character Statement, which would help preserve the village's unique character and identity.