We’ve put up a fake speed camera outside our homes to stop speeding tourists – it’s genius but not everyone loves it
RESIDENTS fed-up with tourists zooming through their village have erected a fake speed camera - but not everyone is convinced it's a good idea.
Fixed on top of a metal pole in West Lulworth, Dorset, the realistic-looking camera has been fooling motorists despite just being a timber box painted yellow and grey.
An official Dorset Police anti-drink drive 'No Excuse' sign has also been attached to the pole, making the Gatso-style object appear more credible.
But council officials have said they will be removing the dummy device as it could distract drivers and cause an accident.
Shirley Bamber, who lives on the road, said speeding is a problem through the village.
"We've been begging to have a slow down sign, or something which flashes how fast you are going, for so long," she said.
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"We've not got many pavements in the village so the kiddies that walk down and people with buggies are at risk from the speeding."I thought it was an absolutely brilliant idea.
"You've only got to be down there for half an hour to see that people are speeding down the main roads."
Coach driver Andy Miller - who regularly drives down the 30mph stretch of road to take tourists to the nearby Lulworth Cove - has slammed the mock-up camera as he believes it "will cause an accident".
He had been notified about the camera through a group on social media where drivers share sightings, but when he drove past it himself he realised the camera was not real.
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"It's a public road, not a private estate, so it should not be there. Everybody is looking at it as they go past," he said.
"I feel it has been put up to make tourists scared. Cameras are installed for the reason of slowing people down only when there is a need to do so, not to be put up willy nilly by a resident.
"It will cause an accident in the end because there are no warning signs saying a camera is nearby. People shouldn't take the law into their own hands like this.
"I understand what they're doing, but they're doing it the wrong way.
"Whoever has put it up there could get in trouble. If there was an accident, they could be liable. There's no signage warning about it so it could be dangerous.
"And it's on a pole above the no excuse sign. I think drink driving is more serious than speeding and the fake camera distracts from that."
Installing a fake speed camera is not illegal, but doing so can put you at risk of civil action if someone claims to be distracted by it.
'INADVERTENT RISK'
Dorset Council said they can cause an "inadvertent risk to road safety".
A spokesperson said: "We are aware of reports of a fake speed camera that has been erected at West Lulworth, and this will be removed.
"It’s important that appropriate signage is used at all times to prevent anything that could cause an inadvertent risk to road safety, as well as ensuring consistency to signage across the council area.
"The parish council has previously been offered to participate in the council’s community speed indicator device (SID) programme, as this location meets the criteria for the scheme.
"SIDs have been proven to reduce road speeds and are being successfully operated in over 60 communities across the Dorset Council area."
The parish council said they were not aware of any offer to participate in the council's scheme but would be eager to be involved.
Chairman Jon Davey said: "Speeding is a bit of a problem in Lulworth and traffic generally has been an ongoing issue for many years, but managing it effectively has proved quite difficult.
"We would certainly be keen to get speed cameras but the difficulty is working out where to put them, location is important."
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A Dorset Police spokesperson said: "We are aware of the fake speed camera at West Lulworth.
"We understand local communities who have concerns over speeding in their area are sometimes minded to take action and would just ask that they take care to avoid doing anything that might actually cause a distraction to motorists and inadvertently pose a risk to road safety."
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