Cornish blade runners target West Country speed cameras in night-time raids echoing attacks on Sadiq Khan’s ha
- Two speed cameras were targeted in Cornwall and cut down overnight
Published: 16:53, 3 January 2024 | Updated: 13:47, 4 January 2024
Speed cameras have been cut down in a series of night-time raids reminiscent of the damage inflicted on the Ulez[2] cameras in the capital.
Two more cameras in Cornwall have been cut down overnight, following a spate of similar incidents in November.
One had been cut down before and replaced with a steel support but was cut down yet again.
The other was a bi-directional camera on a busy main road, which has the capacity to catch motorists using their mobile phones and not wearing seat belts.
These attacks are similar to those on the Ulez cameras when Sadiq Khan[3] expanded the scheme to cover the whole of Greater London[4] – which were stolen or damaged 1,000 times in seven months.
Pictured: The aftermath of vandalism which saw two 30mph speed cameras in Cornwall chopped down overnight
One camera which had been replaced with a steel support was knocked down again
Police attending to the chopped down speed camera, which can detect drivers not wearing seat belts and using their mobile phones
One pole was chopped down on the A39 near the village of Perranarworthal, which lies four miles northwest of Falmouth
A speed camera in Longdowns, Cornwall which was cut down overnight in November
The vector camera, which records more information than a standard camera, was installed to enforce the 30mph limit in the area
One of the speed cameras is located in the village of Perranarworthal, which lies four miles northwest of Falmouth.
In October the camera, which was mounted on a hollow plastic pole, was cut down, so it was replaced by one on a steel pole.
But again vandals have cut it down, police have confirmed.
Police were alerted just after 3am to another speed camera on the A390 Tregolls Road, a 30mph road.
The camera caught 3,000 drivers in a month in the summer but local residents say it has made the area safer for children going to two local primary schools.
This one was a high-tech bi-directional camera, which are being rolled out nationally after trials in Devon and Cornwall.
The device can identify speeding drivers travelling in both directions, doesn’t flash when it snaps and can also catch motorists not wearing a seatbelt or handling a mobile phone at the wheel.
Unlike previous cameras which only capture vehicles travelling in left-hand lanes, the new model captures up to three lanes of traffic going in both directions.
This means one installation can enforce an entire section of road.
There have been a spate of camera attacks in the county causing division between those in favour of the devices and those who see them as a cash cow.
Cornwall Councillor Peter Williams, who represents Perranarworthal, said: ‘It is absolutely horrendous why people go and do these things under the noses of where people live.
‘These cameras were not put there on a whim – they were put there after years of gathering evidence and proof.
‘I don’t understand why these people can’t see the cameras are there to protect everyone, including drivers.’
He added the cameras would be reinstated as soon as possible.
Ruth Gripper, who will challenge for the Truro and Falmouth seat for the Liberal Democrats at the next general election, added: ‘This is really disappointing and an affront to the local community.
‘Speed cameras don’t just get put in willy nilly.
‘Speeding is dangerous and makes life a misery for local residents.
‘Cameras are only installed as a last resort after a lot of work by residents and monitoring by the council – it took the community in Perranarworthal six years of consistent effort to get cameras installed.
‘Cutting speed cameras down like this is a totally futile gesture that costs the taxpayer thousands of pounds.
‘It is deeply worrying that an individual or individuals feel able to take the law into their own hands in this way and I hope the police will find those responsible.
‘I encourage anyone with information about this or previous incidents to contact the police as soon as possible.’
Anti-ULEZ campaigners, known as the Blade Runners, claim to have disconnected or destroyed at least 500 of the 2,700 cameras
The attacks on speed cameras echo those on Ulez cameras and vans in protest
Cornwall Council and Devon and Cornwall Police, both of whom are members of the Vision Zero Road Safety partnership issued a joint response regarding damage to safety cameras in Perranarworthal and Truro.
It said: ‘We are really disappointed to see yet more mindless vandalism targeted at safety cameras in Cornwall.
‘These devices were installed at the wishes of the community to improve road safety in areas which had previously experienced high speeds and several serious and fatal collisions.
‘While these cameras are inactive these communities no longer have the protection they were once afforded which is really saddening.
‘The cost of replacing these cameras is also a burden which has to be footed by the taxpayer making these attacks all the more bizarre.
‘Devon and Cornwall Police are working with Cornwall Council and the communities involved to replace the cameras as quickly as possible and identify those who have carried out this vandalism.’
Inspector Tim Evans said: ‘We are investigating these crimes and continue to urge the community to report any suspicious activity or share information that might help our enquiries.’
The attacks on speed cameras echo those on Ulez cameras and vans in protest.
Opponents to the Ulez – who call themselves ‘Blade Runners’ – slash the van’s tyres, spray paint cameras and smash windows.
Footage seen by MailOnline, has shown the moment one group used a tipper truck with ‘ULEZ Camera’ to block the van in London.
Activists, one dressed as a dinosaur and another wearing a dog costume, then mock ULEZ officials, who are speaking to two officers from the Metropolitan Police.
‘You’ve got us for company and we’re very nice, we keep you company, don’t we,’ one ULEZ protester cheekily says to the two men in charge of the enforcement van.
The woman then turns to the pair of female police officers as they walk away from the scene, and says: ‘Peaceful protest is allowed in this country.’
‘Yes, yes,’ one officer replies before they get in their car and drive off, leaving the activists to continue with their bizarre protest.
Later, the person in the inflatable dinosaur suit is seen waddling towards to two men, as another activist holds a sign saying ‘ULEZ scam’ in front of the van’s ANPR camera.
References
- ^ Emily Jane Davies (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Ulez (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Sadiq Khan (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ London (www.dailymail.co.uk)