Police Respond to Claims About Helston Speed Camera Session

Photos. Timestamps. A cleared verge with cones. Devon and Cornwall Police’s Road Safety Team has come out swinging after social media accusations that officers ran a speed trap on Clodgey Lane in Helston when no workers were present, and that their camera van was blocking the pavement.

Neither claim, the team says, holds up.

Background to the enforcement

The enforcement session followed direct contact from the Cormac area manager, who had passed on concerns from the site manager about the speed of vehicles travelling through the temporary 20 mph limit on Clodgey Lane. Workers on site were worried.

Police agreed to step in, but on one condition. Officers would only attend when workers were actually present, keeping enforcement proportionate and focused on times when the danger to the workforce was greatest.

The plan was given advance notice last week, with the post widely shared across local news pages and social media.

📷Credit: Devon & Cornwall Police Road Safety Team

What the police say actually happened

The first session ran on Saturday 16th May between 12.40pm and 1.45pm. According to the Road Safety Team, the site was operating and workers were present near the road throughout.

The camera van, they say, was not parked on the pavement. It was on an area of cleared verge that the Cormac workforce had cleared and coned off specifically for police use. The team has released two photographs to back this up, one showing where the van was parked and another taken from inside the van with workers visible on site.

Misinformation and AI fakes

The statement also referenced a wider pattern. In recent weeks an AI generated image was used to try to discredit the force’s Community Speed Watch volunteers.

The Road Safety Team said misinformation is rife on social media, and that providing the evidence is how they intend to keep the true facts in front of the public.

📷Credit: Devon & Cornwall Police Road Safety Team