Speed camera posts pushed over

It has emerged that the trail of destruction in the early hours of Monday was caused by a 35-tonne bright yellow Volvo truck, which had been taken from a road works site at the Cowthorpe intersection of the A1.

The £120,000 truck was driven towards York along country roads, crashing through hedges and knocking down a road sign near Askham Richard, and destroying four cameras at Walton, near Wetherby.

It is also thought to have crossed the A64 and caused further damage near Colton, before destroying two gates near Bilbrough Top. A rape seed crop was also damaged.

The vehicle was eventually found abandoned near Wetherby Racecourse at 9.30am.

Four horses escaped through one of the gates and were found wandering close to the dual carriageway.

But it emerged today that the damage could have been far more costly, as the cameras were not yet operational.

Philip Gwynne, spokesman for the West Yorkshire Safety Camera Partnership, said: "Four camera posts have been damaged, but the good news is that these were not operational at the time. They were in the process of being installed, and did not have equipment in them - they were just boxes on poles, and the cost of replacing them is therefore not very serious.

"One of them is a write-off, but with the other three we are not yet sure of the extent of the damage. Our technicians are looking at them.

"The good news for local motorists is that to keep them safe we are going to be running out mobile safety cameras on this road."

An Evening Press reader from Wetherby said he saw the truck parked on a roundabout in the middle of York Road, Wetherby, while he was on his way to work on Monday morning.

"It was right in the middle of the roundabout, tipped right up," he said.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to phone the police at Tadcaster on 0845 60 60 24 7.

Updated: 09:56 Thursday, April 28, 2005