Beeston man told to take down fake speed camera

A man has been asked to take down a fake speed camera he had set up outside his home.

Mike Lacey installed the camera next to the A1 in Beeston, Bedfordshire, claiming he had seen cars hit 90mph in the 50mph area, as reported by The Sun.

Highways England acknowledged his "commitment to safety and his ingenuity" but raised the matter with Central Bedfordshire Council.

Council officers have since spoken to Mr Lacey about his design.

The camera's style is similar to that of those used to enforce average speed limits.

Highways England, which has control over speed cameras, said fake installations could be distracting to drivers and cause crashes.

It added it was "committed to tackling unsafe driving on the A1, including speeding".

A spokesman said: "The speed camera on the northbound A1 is not in operation at the moment, so has been covered over.

"We are designing a replacement system for this section of the A1 replacement, which will encourage better compliance with the speed limit, and in the meantime the police can use mobile speed enforcement vans.

"While we acknowledge Mr Lacey's commitment to safety and his ingenuity, we cannot support the use of dummy cameras like this and have raised the issue with the council."

A Central Bedfordshire Council spokeswoman said: "Given that Mr Lacey is now aware that Highways England are in the process of designing a replacement system for tackling speeding on this section of the A1, we have not issued any formal planning enforcement notice."