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AI traffic cameras cut down hours after going up

BBC Camera in four sections with yellow casing, wires and a pole are across a road island, legs of four people in high-vis are standing by the camera.BBC
The cameras were found shattered on the ground

A set of AI traffic cameras put up on a city's road bridge has been hacked down hours after it was installed.

The device had been put up on the A3024 Northam Bridge in Southampton on Tuesday.

It was fitted on the road's central island, which has been home to a conventional speed camera for several years, to capture two-way traffic across all lanes over the bridge.

The pole holding the new equipment was found sliced through on Wednesday morning, causing the T-shaped camera mount to topple and smash.

Gary Baker Roadwork vans and trucks around the centre of a road with a silver pole standing in the centre and yello T-shaped camera on its top.Gary Baker
The T-shaped camera mount was put up on an island on the road bridge

The artificial intelligence (AI) cameras can capture drivers using mobile phones or not wearing seat belts as well as telling how fast they are going.

They can also be linked to DVLA and police databases to check for valid road tax and insurance.

Drivers face six penalty points and a £200 fine if found to be holding and using a phone, sat nav, tablet, or any device that can send and receive data.

If you passed your driving test in the past two years you will also lose your licence.

You can be fined up to £500 if you do not wear a seat belt.

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