Police explain why they now regularly park speed camera van at new location in Northampton

Northamptonshire Police have explained why they are now frequently parking a speed camera van at a new location, which has been criticised by some drivers.

Officers are now regularly setting up a mobile speed camera van on either side of the A4500 just after the Beefeater pub in Harpole.

Data shows that there have been zero serious incidents on this stretch of road in the last four years.

However, police data also shows that on February 20, the speed camera van at this spot caught 37 drivers in a 25 minute period, with the rule breakers caught doing between 57mph and 73mph.

In the past couple of months, motorists have taken to social media to question the new location.

One said: “They are there every day it seems.” Another said: “It’s hardly an accident black spot.”

Responding, a Northamptonshire Police spokeswoman said: “Critics of this action should speak to the police officers who attend fatal collisions or the families of relatives who have died on our roads. They will be able to tell you first hand the devastation speeding can cause.

"The fact that 37 drivers were caught speeding in just a 25-minute period on this stretch of road proves beyond doubt that a safety camera van in this location is a good deterrent to those people choosing to ignore the limit."

Police went on to explain what the thought process was behind picking the new location.

The spokeswoman said: “A number of factors are considered when putting a safety camera van in a location.

"This section of road has been a red route in the past and we receive regular complaints of excess speed from the local community on this particular link. It is also a location favoured by illegal car meets in the county.

"It is not a current active red route as collisions have gone down since it was originally designated one however that doesn’t mean that we simply stop looking at it.”

The spokeswoman added: “It is important to note that Northamptonshire Police do not receive any of the money made through speeding fines.”