German motorists steal digger to destroy speed cameras

Police said they believed the vandals were acting on a 'rejection of speed cameras'

Three speed cameras were destroyed in the rampage in Marburg (POLIZEI MARBURG-BIEDENKOPF)

Vandals in Germany have stolen a digger to destroy speed cameras on a dual carriageway, before ditching the construction vehicle and disappearing.

It was found in a field on the outskirts of Marburg, a university town in Hessen, next to the toppled cameras, which had been ripped out of the ground and left lying on a dirt bank.

Police said the offenders had caused thousands of pounds of damage on the busy Bundesstraße 3 road, committing their crime sometime between 5pm on Tuesday and 8.20am today.

A spokesperson said they stole the digger from a nearby building site and were believed to have started it with a universal key.

Three speed cameras were destroyed in the rampage in Marburg (POLIZEI MARBURG-BIEDENKOPF)

“They drove straight to a permanent speed camera on the B3. There, the vandals used the scoop to tear all three cameras from their foundations and causing enormous damage,” he added.

“Polizei Marburg-Biedenkopf have opened an investigation and are urgently searching for witnesses who saw any suspicious people or vehicles."

A police spokesperson told The Local that there was no evidence for a motive but detectives believed the crime was committed by someone with a “rejection of speed cameras“.

Much of Germany’s autobahn network has no speed limit, letting drivers travel as fast as they want as long as the car is under control and the speed is appropriate for the traffic, visibility, weather and vehicle.

But default limits of 50km/h (31mph) are enforced in residential areas, and 100km/h (62mph) outside, with parts of busy motorways capped at 130km/h (81mph) for safety.

In a survery earlier this month, the majority of German respondents supported hte introduction of a 150km/h (93mph) limit on autobahns, although the prospect is clearly vehemently opposed by some drivers.