Fake speed camera put up in Bedhampton is stolen after just two days
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Alex Booth, who has lived in Bedhampton Road for more than 14 years, set up the ‘camera’ – made from wood and drain pipe – next to his vehicles in a communal car park overlooking the road on Friday evening.
He said he had become fed up with speeding drivers tearing past his house.
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Hide AdThe graphic designer said he bought the £95 prop because he saw the area becoming an accident black spot.
The 48-year-old said: ‘I bought it seven years ago on eBay from a guy who builds props – he built it for a race track as a joke.
‘I thought it would slow down people.
‘It’s an accident blackspot around here, drivers doing 45mph is common, and we will often see smashed bit of glass on the roads, or I’ll hear a collision.
‘The fake camera was working – I was doing some work outside on Saturday and people were slowing down.
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Hide Ad‘I got one of my friends to (post online) they had been flashed by it, to spread the pretence.’
The stretch of road between Bedhampton train station and the Havant campus of Havant and South Down’s College has a 30mph speed limit and has several official road signs warning drivers of speed cameras.
Earlier this year, The News revealed that Hampshire police caught 73,000 speeding drivers in 2018-19 – with nine out of 10 motoring offences recorded over this period being for speeding.
While it is not illegal to put up a fake speed camera, Alex’s effort attracted some unwanted attention and on Monday morning he discovered the prop’s yellow box – made to look like an official speed camera’s distinctive yellow housing – had been stolen.
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Hide AdAlex added: ‘It is sad it’s been taken – someone might have stolen it for their road.
‘I thought it would last longer. I could understand them vandalising a real one.’
Alex hopes that Hampshire County Council – which is responsible for the road – will act to deter unsafe driving in the area – but he is unlikely to buy another fake camera.
He said: ‘The cat’s out of the bag now.’