More than 800 motorists caught speeding on A338 between Blackwater junction and the Cooper Dean roundabout have offences cancelled by Dorset Police over vandalism

MORE than 800 motorists caught speeding on the A338 have had their offences cancelled after police found the cameras had been vandalised.

The average speed cameras on the southbound stretch of the A338 between Blackwater junction and the Cooper Dean roundabout were discovered to be misaligned.

Dorset Police said in order to be “fair and transparent” it had cancelled 884 offences detected on the cameras between 7th November and 16th December last year.

A spokesperson for Dorset Police said in a statement: “This is not to say that the reported drivers were not identified correctly or that offences were not committed during that period.

“However, in an effort to be fair and transparent, it was decided to cancel 884 offences detected on those specific cameras for that specific period.

“There will be no cancellation of any southbound offences outside the stated period as checks showed that the alignment was within approved parameters and evidence was deemed robust.

“The northbound cameras were unaffected.”

The spokesperson said all safety cameras are approved for their type of use, undergo periodic inspections and are checked when they are moved or calibrated.

“The process of dealing with speed camera offences includes an individual verification of each offence and individual cases will only move to prosecution if the evidence is robust”, they explained.

“Our plea to motorists is to obey speed limits, as speeding is one of the main causes of collisions, which often have devastating consequences.”

All affected drivers have been contacted.