Vandals chop down another speed camera in Cornwall

Mabe parish councillor Peter Tisdale said the vandalism "will cause a lot of upset"

A speed camera has been cut down on a main road in Cornwall in the third such incident in less than two months.

The bi-directional static camera - located at Longdowns on the A394 between Helston and Falmouth - has been cut at the base.

It is the county's third such incident in six weeks after average speed cameras were previously damaged in Perranarworthal and Trewennack.

Police said the attacks on speed cameras were putting people in danger.

Mabe parish councillor Peter Tisdale, who lives opposite the speed camera at Longdowns, said its destruction "will cause a lot of upset".

The speed camera was cut down at Longdowns on the A394

He said: "It took years and years of campaigning, firstly to get a 30mph speed limit in the village, and then to get a camera.

"The main reason the camera was put there was because cars were going far too fast through the village and we have young people crossing the road to get to their school buses."

Devon and Cornwall Police said officers were called to the scene at about 01:45 GMT and an investigation was under way.

Supt Ian Thompson urged people to report any suspicious activity around speed cameras.

He said: "The recent rise in criminal damage to speed cameras in the west Cornwall area continues to cause concern.

"Such acts cause a danger to the public and divert resources from critical police activity.

"They also disrupt local communities and road users and the cost of repair falls on the taxpayer."

The camera saw more than 12,000 activations in the year since its installation in February 2022, according to police.

The force has previously pledged to replace the speed cameras vandalised in recent weeks.

It said poles cut down on the A394 between Helston and Trewennack would cost between £6,000 and £10,000 each to replace.

A speed camera chopped down at Perranarworthal in October was reinstalled with reinforced steel.

Police urged people to report suspicious activity around speed cameras

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