Were you caught going UNDER the speed limit on Leighton bypass? Here's why...

Last week the LBO received numerous calls from upset drivers who were fearful that they were facing fines after being flashed by the camera, located just before the turn into Stanbridge Road, with it difficult to prove they were abiding by the law.

Electrician, Gary Sammels, 41, said: “I’m up and down that road all the time. I was driving at 45mph when it flashed me as well as the woman in front who was also driving under 50mph.

“I panicked straight away. I’ve been driving 23 years and I have never got a speeding ticket.

“My heart was racing - I’m thinking, how do I take on the council and police? How do you prove you were going under 50 - you can’t, can you?”

Gary managed to speak to the woman in Dunstable, as luckily they had been heading in the same direction, and they exchanged details in the hope of making a case together.

Gary claims: “I called the council who told me that the camera was run by the local constabulary.

“I gave the police a call and they told me that the camera was on test mode and that I would not be receiving a fine.

“I haven’t seen any announcements about this anywhere.”

Another motorist, Thomas Richardson, 26, told the LBO: “Last Thursday I was just driving to work and was about to turn into Stanbridge Road as I work in the industrial estate.

“I always drive down the bypass at 40-45mph and was doing that sort of speed when I got flashed.

“One of the guys in the office also said he got flashed on the bypass when he was driving under the limit. The light was really startling!

“It’s good to know that it’s happened to other people and that we’re not the only ones.”

In November 2015 the LBO ran a story about faulty cameras on the A505 Leighton bypass when one was flashing drivers travelling at under 50pmh.

At the time, a Central Bedfordshire Council spokesperson told the LBO: “The council along with the police and the camera company are aware of the fault with the speed cameras at the Leighton bypass and are working to fix it.”

Motorists were told that anyone flashed going under 50mph would not be fined.

The LBO contacted Central Beds Council about the latest incidents, but has not had a response since our enquiry seven days ago.

However a Bedfordshire Police spokeswoman said: “The 50mph speed camera on the A505 in Leighton Buzzard, prior to the Stanbridge Road turn, was being tested last week.

“The testing ran between around 12pm on Thursday (March 23) to around 10am on Friday (March 24). The threshold was lowered during this period and any drivers who set the camera off will not be sent a notice of intended prosecution.”

Anyone who does receive a letter in error can contact the Cameras, Tickets and Collisions department on 01438 757677. (Monday to Friday 10am until 3pm.)