A PARISH council has voiced its concerns over the actions of speeding motorists.

The authority in Neasham, near Darlington, has frequently raised fears about the problem.

At its latest meeting, chairman Councillor John Weighell said: "We have again been fortunate to have had a low level of crime committed, but despite the so-called traffic-calming measures and road markings, speeding continues to be a major cause for concern to residents, who see very little action taken to combat the problem.

"Like all villages, we would like to see a higher police profile in our area, but we appreciate that our rural beat officer has a large area to cover.

"A traffic speed monitoring unit was recently set up, but unfortunately installed in an area which is congested with parked vehicles, so it did not give a true picture of the speeding problem."

Local beat officer PC Boyd Rowe pledged that the issue would be tackled.

He said: "We are going to get the beat team down with specialist equipment.

"They have already chased a motorbike halfway to Middleton St George and the rider was reported for a number of traffic offences."