Mobile speed cameras have long infuriated motorists, popping up sneakily and catching out drivers going a few miles too fast.
But one man was so fed up of living in fear of a whopping fine that he decided to take matters into his own hands.
Kristian Portugal, from Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, rolled his sports car right up behind a police van and opened his boot to block the radar inside so it couldn’t scan the speed of passing cars.
He then left his car in that position and went for a pint in The Crabtree – his local across the road in Hemel Hempstead.
A worker at the pub said the mobile van is always outside.
The incident was spotted by one keen-eyed observer, who posted a picture on Imgur with the caption: ‘Someone just parked in front of a speed camera, lifted his boot so nobody could get caught speeding. Then went to the pub across the road.’
According to traffic police, obstructing a speed camera may amount to obstructing the police and may also amount to perverting the course of justice, depending on circumstances.
The image has been viewed nearly two million times and has attracted countless comments from grateful drivers.
The motorist has been hailed as people’s champion – one Imgur user called him ‘the hero we don’t really deserve but it’s pretty great to have.’
Cunning: The image has been viewed nearly two million times and has attracted countless comments from grateful drivers
Another said: ‘Someone buy that man a beer’.
Others, however, were less impressed with his actions, claiming that speed cameras play an important safety role.
One Imgur user with the name Sleepyhead wrote sarcastically: ‘Hurray now people can drive recklessly without repercussion! What a folk hero!’
