4/18/2008

UK Speed Cameras Torched
UK vigilantes take out three speed cameras in one day.

Vigilantes sabotaged a trio of speed cameras in a series of attacks across that took place in the UK early Monday. In Cambridgeshire, fire blasted a speed camera located on the A14 near Quy. The device had been installed on one of the area's busiest roads to maintain a high level of violations. Officials must now pay £24,000 (US $48,000) to resume ticketing with a replacement camera. In 2003 a bomb was used to pulverize a camera in nearby Northamptonshire on the A605, the Cambridge News reported.

At around 1am Monday morning, vigilantes also eliminated the notorious camera in Harpenden, Hertfordshire that had been caught in 2006 issuing speeding tickets where the speed limit was illegally set too low, the Herts Advertiser reported. A total of 3500 motorists received refunds worth £210,000 (US $420,000) from the bogus tickets issued by the now burned out camera on B653 Lower Luton Road near Batford.

At around the same time, vigilantes torched a speed camera in Huddersfield using burning tires. The Dalton camera located on Long Lane suffered £20,000 (US $40,000) in damage, according to the Huddersfield Daily Examiner.