Sir Robert Buckland MP has written a letter to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps as part of his ongoing work to tackle speeding and anti-social vehicle behaviour.
The South Swindon MP said he has written the letter on behalf of may local constituents in Swindon who have been in regular contact with him over several years now.
The aim of his written communication, is to again raise concerns about the speeding and anti-social behaviour in the town that he has been made aware of, and to find out more about the acoustic cameras that have been tested in other parts of the UK.
Acoustic cameras can be defined as 'An imaging device used to locate sound sources and to characterize them. It consists of a group of microphones, also called a
Mr Buckland's letter begins: "In 2019, I decided to begin a local Speeding and Anti-Social Vehicle Behaviour Campaign as the emails I received from concerned residents began to rise weekly.
"Those who are impacted the most by this issue are residents in West Swindon, where regular car meets were taking place.
"I have been working alongside Swindon Borough Council and Wiltshire Police in a multi-agency approach to tackle this issue, and we currently have temporary closure orders in place in the most affected areas."
The South Swindon MP then moves on to explain some of the issues that are taking place within the town.
He says: "Residents are often kept awake during the night, due to vehicle noise from modified vehicles, including loud exhaust popping, the revving of engines, vehicle spins, and burnouts.
"The lack of sleep, stress, and anxiety that this issue is causing has massively impacted on the lives of many local people. Education is affected in local schools, and the local economy has also been affected, not to mention the impact on the local NHS."
Mr Buckland goes on to explain that as set out in the Government Levelling Up white paper, 'noise compaints are the highest among the most economically deprived areas' and that in Swindon there are 'several economically deprived areas.'
After outlining the issue of noise compaints and the frequency of them within Swindon, Mr Buckland questions Mr Shapps about the progress of the acoustic camera tests.
He added: "I first wrote to you about this issue on 5 October 2020, and you responded with details about the Department of Transport commissioned research to assess whether an acoustic camera could be used to detect illegal and excessively noisy vehicles.
"I am aware that since then, there have been trials in several areas, and I would be extremely grateful if you could provide me with the latest update on these trials."
Following this enquiry, the South Swindon MP makes it clear that he is 'extremely keen' for the acoustic cameras to be trialled in Swindon, and that he looks forward to hearing from the Transport Secretary soon regarding this matter.
More information on Robert Buckland's anti-social behaviour and speeding campaign can be found online at https://www.robertbuckland.co.uk/campaigns/anti-social-vehicle-behaviour-and-speeding-campaign
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