A device used to help monitor the speed of traffic travelling through an east Suffolk village has been vandalised.
The village of Sutton installed a Speed Indicator Device in November with the help of Suffolk Coastal District Council after road users were said to be driving at twice the legal limit there.
However, in the past week the sign, which monitors the speed travelled at by those passing by the sign, was damaged in two separate incidents.
Alan McManus from Sutton Parish Council said: “It’s really disappointing.”
Mr McManus explained that the first incident had almost gone unnoticed after a few dents were spotted in the sign earlier this week.
“It had a couple of dents in the front of it,” said Mr McManus, “but it was still working.”
However, after a further incident some time between Friday and Saturday morning, the casing which houses the device was hit a number of times by an unidentified object.
Mr McManus said the village’s speedwatch group had seen marked improvements since the sign was installed.
“It was functioning really well. It reduced the average speed in the village.
“It’s just a reminder, it’s not there to persecute people.”
The nearby village of Hollesely has taken down its own device for the time being for fear that it too may be attacked by vandals.
In a separate incident temporary traffic lights installed in the village of Shottisham have also been damaged.
Coloured lens and bulbs were both smashed and the lights pushed over in recent days.
The lights which have been installed on Ford Hill were supposed to help prevent lorries from crossing each other over the bridge whilst work is carried out at Bawdsey to bring power across from off shore wind farms.
Only one set of traffic lights has been damaged; those on the Shottisham side.
Philip Bouscarle the Chairman of Shottisham Parish Council can’t understand why the vandals have attacked the traffic lights as they don’t even belong to the village: “They are attacking the utility company who have to come and fix them.”
Those with any information about the two incidents of vandalism are asked to get in touch with either Sutton or Shottisham parish councils.
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