INSTALLING a warning sign which could record the speed of cars could affect people’s human rights, an Odiham councillor has claimed.

Odiham Parish Council is looking to spend more than £3,000 on a speed indicator device to be attached to lamp-posts at four different locations in Odiham and North Warnborough.

A meeting of the parish council on Monday heard that the device records the speed of cars and flashes that figure to motorists, to let them know if they are above the limit.

Councillor Mark Faulkner, chairman of the parish council, added that it could record speeding data, although not the identity of a speeding driver.

But Cllr Mike O’Neill said he would prefer the council to buy a cheaper version, which did not record data and flashes the speed limit to motorists rather than their speed.

He said: “This one collects data, which is where human rights and freedom of information issues come in.

“We are collecting people’s information. What are we trying to do here? Are we trying to police the roads or encourage people to reduce their speed?”

Cllr Faulkner said the data would give an idea about speeding hotspots in the village, and that the police could not use it for prosecutions.

He added: “It is not essential that we have one of these but we need to decide whether this is something nice to have. My feeling is that it would be a very useful tool for us to have.”

Cllr Ken Crookes, chairman of Hart District Council, said Hart has similar devices that have been used recently in Dunley’s Hill, which connects Odiham and North Warnborough, and Farnham Road, to the east of Odiham. But he said these were shared between all villages in the district.

Members decided to liaise with South Warnborough Parish Council, which is also looking at how best to combat speeding.