FATHER-OF-THREE Tim Dews has become so fed up with cars racing past his home that he has installed his own speed camera in the garden.

Mr Dews, 41, who lives in Hill Deverill, near Warminster, says speeding drivers use the 40mph limit road through the village as a rat run between Mere and the A350. Since the camera was set up last week he has already noticed a reduction in speeding and hopes this will continue.

Mr Dews, who runs his own glider repair service Airborne Composites in the village, commissioned the camera from Warminster Metal Workers after his earlier traffic-slowing attempts had been foiled.

He said: "We had a party a year ago and we put a mannequin outside dressed as a police woman to slow people down for that. We left it there and went on holiday, but somebody had stolen it by the time we got back."

The anti-speeding campaigner went for something more permanent after witnessing another accident in the village.

Mr Dews said: "I've got three children who have to walk to the bus stop every morning and there is no path for them to walk on. There is a blind entrance to the Manor opposite my house, but cars always speed round there. They come past at warp nine.

The police said as long as it doesn't interfere with traffic or overhang the road it would be alright."

Phil Pinnell, owner of Warminster Metal Workers in Sutton Veny, said the speed camera had been one of the firm's more unusual commissions.

He said: "We just knocked it together out of bits of metal that were lying around.

"Knowing Tim as we do we weren't that surprised with his request, he was quite clear about how it should be.

"The things we get asked to do can be unbelievable, but this is our first speed camera."

Longbridge Deverill Parish Council chairman William Hurd said he welcomed anything that slowed drivers down. He said: "We would like to see stripes across the road to reduce speed."

PC Jim Suter, of Warminster police, said: "The camera is not illegal. It does seem to do the trick because I was following a car through there and it definitely slowed down."