MENACING black traffic cameras that have sprung up around Taunton are anything but, according to Somerset County Council.

The Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras are there to log how long it takes vehicles to get from A to B, a spokesman said.

They added: “We want to know whether the changes to the network that are in store have any improvement on journey times. The cameras are not linked to the DVLA.”

The county council said the cameras are in the following locations:

  • A358 - near the Nag’s Head, Thornfalcon
  • A358 – near the Hankridge Farm Retail Park
  • A38 – Wellington Road, near the crematorium
  • A358 – near the Cross Keys roundabout