A fake speed camera made out of cardboard has amused and baffled residents of Broadwindsor in Dorset after it suddenly appeared on a pole at the side of the road

A furious resident who’s sick and tired of speeding motorists has taken the law into their own hands – by erecting a fake speed camera.

The pretend speed trap was spotted in Broadwindsor, Dorset, and is clearly intended to calm motorists. .

The fake camera is made from a cardboard box and painted yellow, Dorset Live reported.

It positioned on a pole at the side of the road and appears fairly similar to a legitimate speed camera.

Edward Lawrence, 27, happened to be in the area and took photos of the box.

“I thought it was rather amusing,” he said. “I didn’t think it was a speed camera at first, I thought it was a bird box.”

The fake camera has prompted much discussion on social media as its facade has waned with the weather.

Local resident Michael Calverley, 22, said: “I Thought it was a real one at first, but then came to the realisation it was made of cardboard.

“Cracking idea but I don’t think it’s going to combat the problem. If there is a speeding issue within the village maybe replacing the current speed bumps for better bigger ones or even a proper camera.

“I just think putting that up is a ridiculous way to go about solving the problem, as it will cause more drama than resolving the problem at heart.”

Many have wondered if the measure is illegal and requires planning permission.

However, local parish councillor Steven Chubb said the pole it’s on was recently installed by the council for a real speed indicator device.

He said: “I’m fully aware that one of the big things in the Parish in the last couple of years is the speeding.

“We’ve seen that Mostarton have something called a speed indicator device, and we’ve purchased two of these.

The pole went up a while back. Unfortunately the speed indicator devices have been held up because of the manufacturing problems in the whole country, so someone’s took it upon themselves to put a box on top – I don’t know who – and people have been commenting on it, which is good because it makes people aware of speeding in the areas.”

With delays in installing official speed-reducing measures, Cllr Chubb said that he thought the fake camera was “quite a good thing”.

“I drove past it one day, and it put a smile on my face thinking that someone’s been quite clever to put something up there, and it’s got people talking. When people start talking about speeding, maybe they’re a bit more aware of their speed and slow down a bit,” he said.

However, he hopes that the official speed indicator devices, which show drivers if they are over the speed limit, will soon be installed and help reduce fast traffic through the village instead.

“We’ve done what we can as a parish council to try and make people aware of their speeds in the area, because there’s a school there and people do speed,” he said.