this is not a joke.

it's six metres up a pole, smaller than ever and there's no escape from its lens. This is Britain's first digital Gatso-style camera, and look where it has been placed - out of drivers' eyeline and part-hidden by a telegraph pole!

Called the SpeedCurb, it's the latest weapon in the battle against motorists who flout the limit. It's made by Worcestershire firm Monitron International, and is mounted higher than usual partly to deter attacks from vandals.

The device is set to spread nationwide, and has already sparked fury in the anti-camera lobby. Unlike traditional Gatsos, it has no film inside and is linked via a telephone line to a control centre. That means it's live all the time, and if it's set off will issue a ticket.

The device in our picture is on the A4 Bath Road in the Brislington district of Bristol, and is one of several that have just gone up in the town. Dave Gollicker, spokesman for road safety group Avon, Somerset and Gloucestershire Camera Partnership, said: "We have introduced these cameras because of the parking problems in Bristol. When our engineers change the film in the cameras, we get complaints - but with these devices, we don't have to park at all."

The Monitrons haven't gone live yet, and white calibration lines on the road have still to be painted. In all, there will be 20 cameras in the Bristol area. Eight will be sited to snap speeders, with another 12 at junctions to catch red light jumpers. That model is called the RedGuard, but another device, RedSpeed, can do both jobs at the same time. Goll- icker said: "Once everything is in place, we'll tell people about the cameras and their locations through the media."