A new digital speed camera – one of the first to be installed in the county – has been put up on a busy road in the Towns.

It replaces one which failed to catch any speeding drivers on Frindsbury Hill, Strood, a stretch plagued by boy racers.

It is only the third digital camera installed in Kent and will send information directly to police.

It comes after a safety campaigner complained the old one never worked.

Vanessa Roach had fought for the return of a camera on the spot after the previous one was removed due to rusting.

Months later she became suspicious when she saw a police car speeding past but the camera did not flash.

She sent a Freedom of Information request asking how many drivers had been caught, and found the answer was none.

Mrs Roach, who works at the nearby Williams chemist in Frindsbury Road, was pleased last July when she saw engineers reinstalling it.

However, her pleasure turned to disbelief when it was discovered it was not doing its job.

At the time, a Medway Council spokesman said: “We are aware there have been some technical difficulties with the fixed-speed camera and it will be repaired as soon as possible to ensure it is operating as it should, 24 hours a day.”

A few weeks later, in February, the Kent and Medway Safety Camera Partnership announced Frindsbury Hill would be one of three sites to have the state-of-the-art system, which should be operational by the end of this month.

Other sites piloting the scheme are Valley Drive, Gravesend, and Loose Road, Maidstone.

They have already had new cameras installed.

These sites will be tested before a countywide introduction of the technology over the next few years.

She added: “I am very pleased with the outcome, which hopefully will provide a permanent solution to the problem.”