A SPEED camera which was set on fire by a disgruntled teenager had reduced the number of collisions in a busy Worcester road by 86 per cent in the five years since it was installed.

Michael Duncan, 19, was sentenced last week after the arson attack on the speed camera in Tybridge Street on December 27, which he targeted because his friend had been given a fine.

Figures from West Mercia Police show that the speed camera had significantly improved safety on that road since its installation in early 2011.

In the five years prior to the camera, there were 14 crashes at the site, resulting in injuries to 20 people. In the following five years there were just two collisions, injuring two people. The average speed was also reduced, from 35.4mph to 30.6mph.

Duncan, of Trent Road, Worcester, pleaded guilty to charges of attempted arson and having an article with intent to destroy, at the city’s magistrates court.

He was sentenced to a nine-month community order, which includes 10 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement Days and 20 hours at a senior attendance centre.

Afterwards, West Mercia’s Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said: “This sort of offence is totally unacceptable and I am pleased the court recognises this.

“I understand speed cameras are never going to be universally popular, but they need to be recognised as assets to many communities, rather than just seen as enemies to drivers.

“Speed cameras are not just installed at random sites. They go where there is clear evidence that people are driving at unsafe speeds. They go where there have been crashes and injuries in the past, and their only purpose is to try and encourage people to drive more safely in the future. The site where this specific speed camera was installed saw an 86 per cent drop in the number of crashes, and a 90 per cent drop in the number of people injured. Those numbers cannot be ignored.”

Duncan was also ordered to pay £310 in fines and costs, which the court heard his mum would cover.