Police investigate felling of speed cameras A39 Cornwall
The two average speed cameras placed at Stickenbridge and near The Norway Inn on the A39 were cut down[1] by someone overnight of October 4 and 5.
It is not known the reason for the attack on the cameras which restrict vehicles on the road to 30mph through Perranarworthal, but it comes as right wing agitator Laurence Fox[2] was arrersted by the police at his home over alleged support of ULEZ camera vandalism in London.
Adrian Leisk, Devon & Cornwall Police’s head of road safety, said the community has campaigned[3] tirelessly for these cameras, and had achieved them after seven years of campaigning.
“They get installed and I just feel desperately sad for them it must be really deflating for them,” he said.
He said work is now ongoing and the police have contacted the manufacturer and recovered the cameras.
The police say the cameras should be back up within a couple of weeks (Image: Paul Armstrong)
“We will be reinstalling them at the earliest possible juncture and will be looking to put them back in in the next couple of weeks when we can book the road space,” he said. “We’re not messing about.”
He said investigations are continuing and he would urge anyone with any information to contact Devon and Cornwall Police, whether it is CCTV, doorbell video or dashcams.
He said: “We are looking at all sorts of data along that route, urging anyone to check their ring doorbells if they got anything of anyone walking past in the village. Anyone who’s got any footage should contact Devon and Cornwall Police and ask for the road safety team.
The actual cameras were not damaged (Image: Paul Armstrong)
“Although these were put up by the council, it is the police that take responsibility for the assets going forward,” he said. “It’ll be the police paying for the repairs for the replacement so there is a degree in there of us taking this personally.”
He said he was “surprised and disappointed” that these “clowns” felt the need to express their views in this way.
Police raid harvests 4,000 suspected cannabis plants with yield of around £2m[4]
“There is all sorts of data we can use from when the last vehicle that went through, so those clowns if they have done it may have been caught by the cameras,” said.
“So those people are going to have a very uncomfortable 48 to 72 hours wondering whether we’re going to come knocking on their doors.”
He said all these types of cameras have been put in at the request of the community and should not be confused with ULEZ in London. They were not there just make money.
References
- ^ cut down (www.falmouthpacket.co.uk)
- ^ Laurence Fox (www.messengernewspapers.co.uk)
- ^ community has campaigned (www.falmouthpacket.co.uk)
- ^ Police raid harvests 4,000 suspected cannabis plants with yield of around £2m (www.falmouthpacket.co.uk)