Thousands of drivers caught speeding by new camera
BBCMore than 4,200 drivers have been caught speeding by a village's new road safety camera.
The camera was installed on a section of the A595 that passes through Holmrook near Seascale, Cumbria, in October.
Drivers have been recorded at speeds of almost 90mph in the 30mph zone.
Critics questioned whether the camera was faulty owing to the large number of offences recorded, but Cumbria Police said it was functioning correctly.
Parish and Cumberland Council member Andy Pratt told BBC Radio Cumbria he was "surprised" by the number of drivers caught breaking the 30mph speed limit.
"It's clearly marked on the road and the signs - it is the law," he said.
He said the speed limit was "there for a reason" as the road ran past various features, including a playground and village hall.
"It can be quite frightening when you try to pull out from any of those places if you don't know how fast stuff is coming," the councillor said.
GoogleThe camera was installed after surveys detected average speeds of 42mph in the 30mph village.
The installation was part of a wider project by Cumberland Council and Cumbria Police to target areas with high collision rates or community-reported concerns.
Questions over whether the camera was operating correctly were raised after a wave of fines were issued over the Christmas period, with more than 500 people joining a Facebook group protesting against the camera.
Cumbria Police said the system had been calibrated on one occasion in November, but had not needed any maintenance since then.
It said the camera had had "no faults," and its effectiveness and impact on speed would be assessed in June 2026.
Pratt said the camera had helped the area, but questioned how money from speeding fines was being used.
"They'll be collecting a lot of fines I imagine," he said, adding: "But what's that money doing to help reduce the speed? If there are that many being caught, it's not doing its job yet."
A spokesperson for Cumbria Police said: "The speed camera in Holmrook is an investment in road safety in that community and on that stretch of road."
Money from speeding fines went into a national government pot from which a proportion would be allocated towards speed awareness courses and road safety schemes, the spokesperson said.
The force also recently invested in five automated speed cameras that could be "quickly deployed to areas of concern", they added.
