Newly-installed A149 speed cameras graffitied between King's Lynn and Snettisham
New speed cameras which have been installed on the A149 between Lynn and Hunstanton in the past few weeks have been cleaned after they were marred by graffiti.
The average speed cameras, which are dotted along the A149 route between the Knights Hill and Snettisham roundabouts, had been spray-painted with a number of offensive words – the graffiti seemed to have appeared over the weekend.
A spokesman for Norfolk County Council, which installed the cameras as part of the Norfolk Safety Camera Partnership scheme in the last week of July, said: "A team from our highways department have been out to the A149 and have successfully cleaned the graffiti off the speed cameras.
"We will promptly remove roadside graffiti like this when it is deemed overtly offensive.”
West Norfolk residents had posted on social media of their concerns of youngsters and tourists potentially seeing the graffiti while travelling along the road.
One person said: "Terrible, looks awful driving through seeing it and makes the place look rubbish.
"Whoever did it should scrub it off."
Another said: "I'm not normally a stick in the mud but I think it's disgusting and shouldn't be made into a joke.
"What a great advert for our beautiful area that is to visitors particularly those with children.
"I am angry about it and ashamed of whoever is responsible."
"I was appalled when I drove passed this today! Totally no need for it," said another.
Back in July, chairman of the Norfolk Safety Camera Partnership, Assistant Chief Constable Simon Megicks, said: "We have continuously been in support of road safety improvements on the A149 between Castle Rising and Snettisham.
"Speeding is one of the 'fatal four' offences which makes you more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a collision alongside drink/drug driving, driving whilst using a mobile phone and not wearing a seatbelt.
"Average speed cameras have been proven to reduce speeding and help to reinforce understanding around speed limits, set at the maximum safe speed to travel on a particular stretch of road.
"In 2016, the decision to fund and proceed with this scheme was agreed by the Safety Camera Partnership Board and it is pleasing to see this finally coming to fruition."
Martin Wilby, Norfolk County Council cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport, said the scheme was expected to improve safety on the stretch of the A149 where there had been 50 personal injury accidents over the past six years, of which three were fatalities and 13 involved serious injuries.
Police and Crime Commissioner Lorne Green said: “As Norfolk’s PCC, I’m committed to making the county’s roads safer for all who use them.
"I know this particular road extremely well, having travelled it over a number of years. I’ve long held the view, shared by many and supported by the figures around collisions, that action is needed to improve its safety.
“The Norfolk Safety Camera Partnership approved the speed cameras back in 2016. I’m pleased that the partnership’s proposals are finally being actioned and work to install the cameras is now getting underway.”
The A149 came under public scrutiny at the start of the year, when the Duke of Edinburgh was involved in a serious crash at Babingley, when his Land Rover was in collision with another vehicle.
A female passenger suffered a broken wrist in the accident.
No prosecutions resulted from the accident and there was no suggestion that speed was to blame for the crash.