Speed camera cut down in spate of sabotage attacks across Manchester

The bright yellow column of the speed camera lying at the side of the road after it was cut down on Errwood Road Credit: Greater Manchester Police

A speed camera has been cut down as police investigate a series of other attacks on similar equipment in the city.

The yellow camera was felled in the early hours of Wednesday 10 July on Errwood Road in Burnage, south Manchester.

The yellow speed camera at the side of Errwood Road could be linked to other incidents recently Credit: Manchester Evening News syndication

It is one of four potentially linked attacks on traffic cameras currently being investigated by Greater Manchester Police (GMP).

The first happened at around 12:20am on Monday 8 July, when a traffic monitoring camera, the location of which has not been disclosed, is said to have been targeted.Later that day, at around 11:10pm, on Edge Lane in Chorlton, damage was caused to a second speed camera.

GMP said it received reports the speed camera had been seriously damage by two suspects with power tools.

When officers attended the scene and located the camera and the suspects made off on e-bikes down a walkway close to Meadow Court, the force said.

Police are investigating similar attacks on traffic cameras Credit: Manchester Evening News syndicatio

It is understood a camera installed for the region's Clean Air Zone - the location of which has also not been revealed - was also damaged. Police are treating the incidents as linked.On Errwood Road, the damaged camera could be seen with plastic fencing around it, having collapsed to the ground with a cut appearing to have been made around a quarter of the way up the pole.

Police say it had been had completely cut down using an electric power tool, with the suspect last seen running into Cringle Fields towards the Mcvities factory.

It's believed the camera was cut down in the early hours Credit: Manchester Evening News syndication

Inspector Paul Wall from our City of Manchester district said: “These incidents are really disappointing, the speed cameras which have been damaged were requested by the local community to help reduce levels of serious injury caused by speeding at locations of high-risk routes close to schools, shops or public parks.

“We are investigating these incidents and anyone who is found to have damaged these cameras or been in conspiracy to commit these crimes will be arrested and dealt with accordingly.

“We are working with partners such as Transport for Greater Manchester and Manchester City Council to quickly repair the damaged speed cameras.”It is not the first time the region has seen crime of this sort.

In January, a man was arrested after officers in Wigan chased two men who were said to be cutting down a speed camera with an angle grinder.At the time, a GMP spokesperson said: "There have been a series of speed cameras cut down across the district over the Christmas period, so this is an excellent result for our team."