New lollipop cams

Councils have just found a new place to hide cameras – on lollipop sticks! It’s the latest way to catch law-breaking motorists.

The new technology is designed to crack down on drivers who fail to stop or hurl abuse at council workers. The Local Authority Association claims that 1,400 patrol staff are victims of road rage each year, despite the fact that a lollipop is legally identical to a red traffic light, and ignoring them can lead to fines.

Images captured on the cameras, in Kirless, West Yorkshire, could be used to prosecute drivers. Maker Routesafe claims another 150 councils across the country have also expressed an interest in the devices, and could soon be using them, too.

The system uses a pair of tiny battery powered cameras – one filming the road in each direction. These are activated automatically when the lollipop is carried at an angle to the middle of the road, then planted upright on the tarmac.

They record until the stick is moved again, but because of the purposely designed narrow lens, capture only what’s happening on the tarmac, and not pedestrians on the pavement. The video footage is stored on a memory card. It allows 40 hours of patrol use, and sound recording is available as an option.

Each lollipop costs £890, which is pricey compared with £250 for a regular one. But, as Routesafe’s product manager Lee Fairbrother explained, it’s cheaper than the alternative: “A CCTV camera fixed on a pole would be £1,000 and it can’t be moved around.”

This flexibility is part of its appeal, as most councils who are interested want to buy a few so they can move them around different crossing patrols. “They believe the deterrent effect would be enough,” he added.