Road-safe residents donned high-vis jackets and played traffic cop as part of a new initiative designed to deter drivers from speeding.

The Metropolitan Police and Transport for London's (TfL) Community Roadwatch scheme, which sees residents supervised by police officers using speed radar guns to clock drivers going above the limit, launched in Croydon today.

A handful of safety-conscious borough residents were met by traffic officers on Riddlesdown Road in Purley shortly after 10am.

After a short briefing on how to use the radar gun, the small team were at work; within minutes, they had clocked cars travelling at 37mph, 40mph, 45mph in the 30mph zone.

Stephen Hedgecock, 64, of Purley Downs Road, said: "It will make [drivers] more aware of speed limits."

Mr Hedgecock said he had taken part in similar schemes in his own area, and described his own road as "a bit of a death trap".

He said he would like to see the introduction of more roadside speedometers with built-in cameras to help prevent speeding but thought schemes such as Community Roadwatch were "a start".

Speed offences recorded by members of the public can't be used to make a prosecution. Letters will be sent to those captured by the scheme warning them of their speeding, and their data will go into a national database.

Inspector Mark Johnson, who works with the Croydon Safer Transport team, said the sight of high-vis jackets was enough for some drivers to slow down.

He said: “Some people just don't realise that their speed is creeping up.”

The Inspector likened the Community Roadwatch initiative to Neighbourhood Watch schemes and stressed it was about complementing, rather than replacing, regular police work.

TfL have committed to reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on London's roads by half by 2020.

Last year, nine people died on Croydon's roads, with 62 people seriously injured.

As he stood by the side of the road in his high-vis, aiming the radar gun at oncoming cars, Geoff James, 51, of Kenley, was enthusiastic about his involvement in the scheme. He said: "You can stand around moaning about it or you can do something about it--and this is an opportunity to do something about it."

If you would like to take part in Community Roadwatch, or to suggest a residential area where there are community concerns around speeding, email CommunityRoadwatch@tfl.gov.uk