A FRUSTRATED Wollescote councillor driven to distraction by the police's lack of action over speeding has bought a radar gun from America so he can patrol the streets himself.

Cllr Richard Body is calling on residents to help his "campaign of direct action" in a bid to make the streets safer from speeding drivers.

Armed with his £98 radar gun Cllr Body set up a makeshift speed trap on Saturday and caught 42 per cent of drivers speeding.

Cllr Body is handing all his evidence to West Midlands Police Force in the hope it starts a clampdown in Cradley.

He said: "I had to do something before someone was killed because the speeding drivers around Cradley and Wollescote are incredibly dangerous.

"I have repeatedly asked the police to do something about this speeding problem but have got no help at all so I've had to take direct action myself.

"I hope concerned local residents will get involved and start fighting back."

He added: "These speeders need to think more about public safety. The limit is 30mph for a reason, hit a child at 40mph and they are dead.

"I'm also hoping our community police will start to take notice and join us."

The police provide radar guns to neighbourhood watch schemes in Dudley borough but Cllr Body has unable to get his hands on one.

He said: "My requests to date have fallen on deaf ears. This could well be due to police budget cuts, but no action in over 12 months? It would be nice even if just one officer could join us, just to show support for community direct action against speeding."

Cllr Body is first targeting speeding drivers on Wynall Lane, Butchers Lane and Oldnall Road but if he gets enough volunteers he will visit other accident blackspots in the ward.

He said: "I cannot do this on my own because I have to hold the gun and someone else has to write down the registrations but I am confident people will get involved."

A West Midlands Police spokesman said: "Cllr Body can use the gun as a deterrent but its data would not be enforcible because it is not calibrated to our standard."

We have a number of street watch schemes operating across the borough, whereby members of the public use the pro-lasers and are given the relevant training in their use to go out to locations where speed is an issue."

Motorists are not prosecuted or given penalty points when caught by members of the public or officers using these pro-lasers but are sent warning letters about the dangers of speeding.