Vandals attack speed camera

[Gix]

FEARS have been raised about the safety of schoolchildren after a speed camera on a busy road was vandalised.

Vandals have smashed the glass and sprayed paint on the camera, which stands outside Orton Longueville School and St Botolph’s Primary School, in Oundle Road, Peterborough.

Today parents of pupils at the school and residents living nearby have condemned the attack, claiming that it could put youngsters from the schools in danger.

Ruth Veale, of Leighton, Orton Malborne, Peterborough, has two young daughters, Charlotte ( and Lilimae (5), who are pupils at St Boltoph’s.

She said: “The camera is there for a reason – to make it safe for children crossing that road. Any parents worth their salt would not condone this – the camera saves lives at the end of the day.

“It makes me really cross. The last thing I want is a speed camera that is out of action when my two young children need to cross the road.”

David Owen, principal at Orton Longueville School, which has 1,500 pupils, said: “It’s a real shame. The camera has had an impact on slowing cars down on that section of the road.

“Whoever chose to do this has total disrespect for the safety of the children. I’m very disappointed.

“We always have staff on duty when the children are arriving at the school or leaving, but we will be particularly keeping an eye out now.

“It is a dangerous road at the best of times. We would love to have some kind of additional facility such as a zebra crossing, but it seems the council won’t do anything in that regard because there has never been a fatal accident at that spot.”

Councillor Graham Murphy, who represents Orton Longueville, said: “It’s quite an effective camera outside the school. British Sugar donated it to us when the site was being developed, so it didn’t cost the authority anything.
He added: “It’s soul destroying. At certain times of the day traffic does get quite speedy, but this camera managed to slow that down considerably. The speeds dropped enormously, so it is now a worry for the children.”

Rebel with a cause!

The roads are my race track!!

LOVE IS GIVING SOMEONE THE POWER TO DESTROY YOU, BUT TRUSTING THEM NOT TO DO IT.

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