Camera Watching Camera Watching Camera.....

[Wizzo]

Road safety bosses want to set up a camera to watch a speed camera after it was constantly wrecked. It is thought that vigilantes keep destroying the Gatso near Preston and the local camera partnership is looking at ways to protect it.

Angry motorists have twice torched the £24,000 speed camera, which is situated on the B5246 at Mere Bow, and last week it was pushed over. Now Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety is threatening to put up another camera to monitor the Gatso.

However anti-speed camera protesters have questioned the thinking behind adding another camera. Claire Armstrong, of Safespeed.org.uk, said: ‘We have probably got law-abiding citizens feeling so infuriated they have to show the government what they feel about it by taking direct action. We sympathise with them but we don't agree with it – we don't condone law breaking.

‘I can understand how frustrated someone can be, especially, say, if they have lost their job for driving a few miles over a set limit. If they put up a camera to monitor the camera, they will attack that one too. What do you do then? Put a camera up to monitor that camera? How far do you go?’

Linda Sanderson, communications manager for the Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety, said that the damage could result in arrests. ‘An officer has gone over to it. We need to find out if it has been criminal damage,’ she said. ‘If it is, then we will investigate which can lead to arrests.’

[Alianora La Canta]

Breaking speed limits, pushing cameras open and setting fire to one is not law-abiding behaviour. Though using a camera to monitor camera vandals does seem like an open invitation for the monitor camera to be vandalised as well.

[John S]

Perhaps the authorities should fit the BMW KERS system to the Gatso instead, vandals should be suitably shocked! 

[Alianora La Canta]

Good point - but the council Health and Safety brigade would put a stop to it...