Birds Slow Speeders ... Sort of

I couldn't resist posting the following story from the British newspaper "Daily Mail" online. It involves a clever man who decides to build a birdbox to slow speeding traffic in front of his home:

Pensioner ordered to take down fake speed camera from outside his home.... although he claims it's a bird box!

By Daily Mail Reporter

A pensioner has put his foot down on speeding motorists by erecting this bird box outside his home - which looks like a speed camera.

Ian Magee, 63, was fed up with motorists breaking the 30mph speed limit on the main road in Williton, Somerset, so he decided to make his own deterrent.

He created a bird box - complete with nesting holes where the camera lense should be - and painted it the trademark yellow of a roadside speed trap. Boxing clever: The bird home outside Ian Magee's home in Wilton, Somerset

Boxing clever: The bird home outside Ian Magee's home in Wilton, Somerset

Mr Magee says the device been effective in slowing traffic - but the local council could order him to remove it for breaching planning regulations.

He said: 'Many motorists travel more than double the speed limit down this hill and tourists also cause a problem.

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'I decided that I would make a bird box, for the birds to nest in, and I would make it look like a speed camera to try and fool people into slowing down.'

The camera even has its own CCTV camera next to it in an attempt to stop vandals damaging it.

Mr Magee put the box up two weeks ago after spending a week working in his garage to make it look believable. Slowing down: Mr Magee says the box works in keeping traffic to the speed limit but has angered the local council who say it requires planning permission

Slowing down: Mr Magee says the box works in keeping traffic to the speed limit but has angered the local council who say it requires planning permission

The father-of-two said the key to making it perfect was finding the right coloured paint to cover the plywood box.

Ian, a retired car salesman, said: 'It has been great so far and has convinced so many people.

'Even off-duty ambulances and police cars slow down when they see it.'

But the bird box has caused a split between the local authorities.

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset police said: 'We have checked it out however it is on private land and as far as we are concerned it is not breaking any rules.'

But West Somerset Council believes it breaches planning rules and want it removed.

A statement released by the council said: 'This is something we are currently looking into as we feel that this kind of object requires planning permission, which it doesn't have.

'We also feel the box should be taken down as it is providing unnecessary clutter to the area.

'It is causing rather a lot of public interest, which isn't necessary, this is something we want to stop.'

Mr Magee said that the birds have taken very fondly to the box, which they can enter from the left hand side.

He evens thinks that Pipistrelle bats have started nesting, which could be a problem for anyone who wants to remove the box as they are a protected species.