Village where camera vandalised 'speeding hotspot'

Police have said that a village where North Yorkshire's first speed camera was vandalised soon after being installed is a hotspot for dangerous driving.

The fixed camera was set up in Sherburn, near Malton, on Monday, but uprooted just a day later when it was due to become operational.

North Yorkshire Police chose the area for the three-month trial based on statistics from mobile speed camera vans.

Assistant Chief Constable Ben Moseley said: "Safety vans typically capture 11 speeding offences an hour in Sherburn, while the average across the county is five offences an hour."

He said 394 vehicles exceeding the 30mph speed limit were captured by the vans in the previous six months, including one driver recorded at 60mph.

"The community is being put at risk by irresponsible drivers and the fixed camera is part of a blended enforcement approach, along with safety camera vans, to keep both motorists and pedestrians safe," he added.

The force confirmed that the camera would now be repaired and installed in a different location in the Sherburn area.

North Yorkshire is one of the only counties in England and Wales that had no fixed or average speed cameras prior to the trial.

The fixed camera trial was "fully supported" by the York and North Yorkshire Road Safety Partnership, according to its deputy chair Tom Hirst.

The partnership is made up of organisations including emergency services, councils and Highways England.

"To make real progress we must consider all aspects of road safety including fixed and average speed cameras especially where we have historic evidence of areas where the speed is being exceeded," Mr Hirst said.

North Yorkshire Police repeated its appeal for any information about the vandalism, which it said occurred between 02:00 and 03:00 BST on Tuesday 1 July.

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