SPEEDWATCH volunteers say a busy rural causeway is being blighted by dangerous illegal races and careless drivers.

Peter Pike, who volunteers for Layer de le Haye Community Speedwatch, says regular checks along the B1026 through Layer and Abberton reveal the true extent of the problem.

He said many drivers flout the 30mph sped limit.

“We find many drivers are just totally unaware of their surroundings and totally unaware of the speed limit,” he said.

“This time of year and every night a number of us contact the police about vehicles racing up and down the road.

“But more generally we find a lot of people aren’t following the speed limit.

“We did a speedwatch session on Sunday and more than 30 per cent of the vehicles were speeding, We’ve had a motorcyclist doing 75mph and a car at 70mph.”

In the evenings and well into the night, the residents of Layer and Abberton can hear the roar of illegal races being held in the area.

Mr Pike said: “A friend of mine was stopped while out running by a motorcyclist and asked whether he knew where ‘Abberton Racetrack’ was.”

The speedwatch volunteer said he has been engaging with the police and county councillors over the issue, but has been told the road is not suitable for traffic calming measures as “it’s a major road into a town”.

“We can’t have speed cameras because there’s not been a fatality,” he said.

“Average speed cameras are a no-go, but we are looking at having road markings, count down markers or marker posts on the side of the road.

“Colchester Council had a public spaces protection order on the industrial estate to stop car clubs racing there.”

Police patrols have been upped at Colchester’s industrial areas to tackle anti-social behaviour.

An Essex Police spokesman said: “Colchester is a safe place to live and work. If you behave anti-socially or commit crime, we will take the strongest possible action against you.

“Our officers are here to protect the people of Colchester and catch criminals. If you see something suspicious, call us on 101. If it's an emergency, always call 999.”