Britain’s new two-way ‘ultra’ speed cameras are already under attack as vigilante chops one down in Cornwall

The latest in speed camera technology on Britain’s roads is already under attack as a photo has been taken of a camera being hacked down by a vigilante.

A Jenoptik VECTOR-SR unit – dubbed the new ‘ultra’ flash camera – has been photographed with the pole cut almost in half on New Row in Longdowns, Cornwall, with the incident reportedly taking place at night.

It is the fourth in a series of recent attacks that have taken down speed cameras in this part of Cornwall.

The incident comes after it was announced earlier this week that Greater Manchester Police had installed more than 100 of the devices across the city in its crackdown on speeding and other driving offences.

Cornwall’s speed cameras have been targeted in recent weeks, forcing police to step up enforcement of speed traps in the area to prevent further damage.

Last week it also turned out that a speed camera had been disabled with an angle grinder on the A394 at Trewennack near Helston.

That followed two downed a few weeks ago on the A39 at Perranarworthal between Truro and Falmouth.

The latest incident involves a VECTOR-SR unit, one of the most advanced of its kind capable of this records more information than a standard camera.

Which was installed on New Row to enforce the 50km/h limit in the area.

It has reportedly caught hundreds of speeding drivers since it was first installed, some multiple times in the same day, with many ending up in court.

The speed camera, which can monitor drivers in both directions, caught almost 700 speeding motorists in its first full week of use when it was installed in February 2022.

Local Ryan Moses said he saw the camera post attacked after 1.40am on Friday morning, telling Apex News: ‘I saw it just after it happened when the police just showed up looking for whoever did it.’

Local Police Chief Inspector Ian Thompson said: “We are deeply concerned by the recent increase in criminal damage to speed cameras in the West Cornwall region.

“These acts not only endanger the public, but divert resources from vital police activities, disrupt the local community and road users and place a burden on taxpayers to cover repair costs.

“Our investigation continues and we urge the community to report any suspicious activity or share any information that could assist our investigation.”

It has been reported that the damage caused when vigilantes attack speed cameras could amount to £6,000 to £10,000.

However, this is the latest in camera technology, which was only approved by the Ministry of Internal Affairs in 2019.

The VECTOR-SR can double up on both speed and red light enforcement, making it one of the most versatile cameras on the market today – which has made it very attractive to cash-strapped police forces and local authorities.

It uses a video-based system that works with an intelligent virtual grid to assess whether a driver is speeding.

Measurements from the radar technology are then validated by secondary, independent and image-based evidence.

That means there’s no need for road markings, which have typically been one of the biggest tell-tale signs of letting drivers know where speed cameras are located.

The system uses infrared technology to capture images through photos and video recording, eliminating the need for a camera flash, even at night and in bad weather.

And because the camera records images of a driver over the limit, any visual evidence showing drivers driving without a seat belt or using a cell phone can be used for further violations.

Unlike previous cameras that only capture vehicles driving in the left lane, the new model records up to three lanes in each direction. This means that one installation can maintain an entire road section.

It will also be able to identify fast-moving vehicles and their owners as it has built-in ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) technology.

Mabe Parish councilor Peter Tisdale said the latest attack would cause widespread concern, especially after it took ‘years and years of campaigning’ to get the camera installed in what had been a dangerous hotspot.

“The reason we bought these cameras in the first place is because there have been quite a few accidents where people have driven into the garage,” he said.

‘But a few children have also been hit when they got off the school bus while trying to cross the street.

“The cameras aren’t here for fun.”

He added: “We are talking about criminal damage with public money, we are going to put them back, they are there for a reason.”