Vandals Cut Down Speed Camera in Kirkby Lonsdale

12 January 2010

Vandals who used a grinder are being blamed for cutting down a roadside speed camera in Cumbria. Police say damage to the camera on the eastbound carriageway of the A65 at Devil's Bridge, Kirkby Lonsdale, is estimated at more than £30,000.

The incident happened early on Sunday and detectives are now examining images of speeding incidents in an effort to trace those responsible. The Cumbria Safety Camera Scheme said the attack put people's lives at risk.

Scheme manager Kevin Tea described the vandalism as "highly irresponsible" &"anti-social".

"Since the safety cameras started operating in 2003 there has been a steady reduction in the number of people being killed or seriously injured on the county's roads, What the individual who committed this act does not realise is that speeding offences captured on the camera are transmitted immediately to our back office system. Removing the camera does not remove the offence so the police will be seeing who has been through at excessive speed and checking out those drivers who have been caught."