A HI-TECH camera that has been catching thousands of speeders on the A46 has been set up in the wrong location, according to one mother from Stroud.

Keira Bainbridge has criticised the location of the camera, has been set up near the Stroud Enterprise Centre between Stroud and Rodborough.

Over the past few weeks the Automatic Number Plate Recognition system has snapped thousands of vehicles breaking the limit.

In one week nearly 25,000 were clocked speeding in the 30mph zone.

But Mrs Bainbridge thinks it could have been better located between Golden Cross and Stroud, which is located just off the A46 near Dudbridge Hill.

She says this road is a danger spot for speeders and regularly used by pupils at Rodborough School.

“I am pleased to see that a speed camera has been introduced on the A46 albeit in the wrong location,” she said.

“I am confused as to why no such measures have been introduced between Golden Cross and Stroud.

“I frequently walk this route with my young daughter and this stretch is far more residential than the other side of the A46 towards Nailsworth.

“The houses here are very close to the road and the pavement is dangerously narrow.

“Many families live on this route and with Rodborough School being only a stone's throw away it really should be a priority area.

“The road narrows dangerously on the bridge over the cycle track and two large vehicles cannot pass easily.

“Many drivers are guilty of speeding but I find the local refuse collection trucks and building supply merchants the most terrifying as they hurtle down the hill.

“There have been reports of kerbs being mounted and we often hear the screeching of tyres from speeding vehicles attempting to avoid each other.”

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She said she had campaigned for action to be taken to slow cars coming down the will, but hit a brick wall.

Mrs Bainbridge gathered 200 signatures from other concerned parents and residents, but says her request was ignored.

“At the very least a few 30mph signs would help. Along with this new speed camera, all action appears to have taken place elsewhere,” she added.

“Does there really need to be a fatality here in order for action to be taken?”

The state-of-the-art camera on Bath Road uses automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) to clock a vehicle’s speed, number plate, time and date.

The small yellow camera is currently being trialled and has been operational since February 20.

Gloucestershire Police and Crime Commissioner Martin Surl has been working with the Rodborough Road Safety Working Group to fund the initiative.

He said, “Well, first of all I’m surprised some think it’s in the wrong place as I would have thought the fact it captured more than 25,000 speeding motorists in the first week was proof of its effectiveness.

“As I have said many times, I think the best answers to local problems often come from local people.

“Rodborough Parish Council’s Road Safety Working Group did a tremendous amount of research before putting their proposal to me and I was happy to support them.

“There has been tremendous interest from all over the country and I expect other communities with similar issues will want to follow Rodborough’s example if they can”.

Rodborough is the first place in the county to have the hi-tech traffic cameras trailed.

The trial will run until April 2017 and if successful could be rolled out to any of the 86 per cent of the county’s 260 other parishes where speeding is a recurring problem.