MORE than 1,200 drivers have been slapped with a speeding ticket in two traffic hotspots in Pershore where residents claim to take their life in their hands.

Ninety hours of checks have been carried out in the two spots on Three Springs Road and Defford Road leaving people with the choice of either paying a fine or taking part in the speed awareness course offered to first time offenders.

A total of 1,293 were caught out overall by the enforcement officers stationed near the junction with Long Hedges, along Three Springs Road, and opposite the junction with Birlingham Close and Defford Road.

PC John Hunter released the figures during a Partners and Communities Together meeting in Pershore last Tuesday evening.

He said: "The enforcement will continue until people get the message."

In November last year the Journal revealed 552 people had been issued with tickets within six months at the same hot spots and that a significant number of offenders lived locally.

Pc Hunter added: "It equates to 14 people being caught per hour. The number of offenders being caught is coming down slowly. Last time it was the equivalent of 18 per hour.

"The Safer Roads Partnership are going to continue to do this.

"If any area gets highlighted as a concern to me in any of my meetings I will endeavour to get the speed enforcement in place.

"The general feeling from people is that we are not doing enough but the reality is we have done checks around the town where there are concerns and these places don't meet the criteria to get the speed enforcement in place."

Pershore's Mayor, Councillor Charles Tucker, said he was surprised by the figures.

"It's a huge number," he said. "I have had people talk to me about speeding on the road in those places. As a town council we have put into the budget to buy another vehicle activation sign to address the issue of speeding along Three Springs Road.

"It is an issue there is no doubt about it. I don't agree with people saying it is to make money, it's about making the road safe.

"People have said to me they feel they sometimes take their life into their hands pulling out of the new estate as people come into town from the Defford direction."