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Vandals target 'speed camera' bird box
Vandals will not stop the bird man of Newbottle and his battle against flying motorists.
Bill Angus has repaired his "speed camera" bird box after it was damaged in a vandalism attack.
As reported in the Echo, the 64-year-old's cunningly-designed bird house in Sunderland Road, Newbottle, put speeding motorists in a flap as they caught sight of the device in his garden.
The speed-trap lookalike won praise from neighbours and road safety chiefs, and it was even hailed by Radio 2's Chris Evans.
A weekend raid on the contraption left the plywood box with a hole in the side.
But the hi-tech "bird hotel" is now back in action after a few repairs and wildlife-lover Bill has added a sign asking would-be vandals to think of his feathered friends before doing damage.
"I'm really rather angry about it," said the retired detective.
"I was worried that if I put it back up and birds do come and nest in, some idiot will come along with a hammer and club the birds as well."
Bill, a grandad and dad-of-four, said he was considering relocating the bird box to keep it out of harm's way.
The camera-shaped bird house won the backing of the Northumbria Safer Roads Initiative (NSRI), the organisation in charge of speed cameras in the area, when Bill put it up last week.
Bill said motorists often drove past his house at 90mph and if his bird box slowed them down to the 30mph then it could only be a good thing.
But the device put the cat among the pigeons, with some drivers claiming it had almost caused crashes as speeding drivers slammed on the brakes.
Bill pointed out that if motorists were sticking to the speed limit, they would not need to slow down on spotting his bird box.
Jeremy Forsberg from the NSRI said the agency, a partnership between the police and council, was aware of concerns about speeding in the area and occasionally stationed a temporary camera in Newbottle.
He conceded that the number of drivers caught by the mobile camera and the speeds recorded showed there was a real problem.
But rules on speed cameras mean there must be a certain number of people killed or seriously injured before a permanent camera can be set up.
Actual speed cameras in Sunderland have also been the victim of sabotage.
The vandalism includes arson attacks on devices in Durham Road outside the Bede college centre and Whitburn Road, South Bents.
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Friday 10 February 2012
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