40mph sign beside a 30 speed camera? That really is the limit

The sign appeared briefly on Newington Road at the junction with Minto Street - a stretch of road which is supposed to have a 30mph limit.

A speed camera only 100 yards from the sign is still set to snap motorists travelling at more than 30mph.

However, Lothian and Borders Safety Camera Partnership today said they will not issue speeding fines to motorists caught out while the 40mph sign was in place.

Council chiefs say they have no idea how the wrong sign got there, because they insist neither they nor any of the other agencies working for them on road contracts put it up.

The rogue sign has now been taken down and replaced with a 30mph one.

One restaurant owner said the camera would catch out people driving between 30mph and 40mph - because he got a ticket last year for driving past it at 38mph, before the misleading sign went up.

Pasquale Cernicchiaro, who runs the Positano restaurant only yards from the sign, said: "It's very strange that the 40 sign went up. I got charged here for doing 38 about a year ago.

"I disputed the fine then but they didn't listen - they would need to listen to anyone caught doing 38mph now.

"It's a very strange thing to happen but then I suppose it is to be expected because the whole city's roads are a shambles.

"It is really stupid if someone has put this up by mistake and I'd certainly dispute any fine given to me for doing between 30 and 40 mph."

Shop assistant Kerry Munro, 19, who works in the RS McColl store adjacent to the sign, believes the last thing people in the area needs is cars going faster.

She said: "There's a school nearby and nursery just up the road so faster cars could put young people at risk.

"Ten miles per hour can make a big difference - the cars go fast enough as it is."

And Chris Adamson, 43, who owns the Bicycle Repair Man shop on Newington Road, said: "I know it is a 30 zone but people who don't use the road a lot will likely follow the signs, so it could have led to problems.

"There is a speed camera there that's set at 30 so I know for sure I wouldn't travel above 30 - no matter what the sign says. It's quite an embarrassing mistake for whoever put the sign up."

A city council spokeswoman said the local authority had not erected the sign and is now looking into how it appeared.

City council transport leader Andrew Burns thanked the Evening News for alerting them to the problem.

He said: "We appreciate this situation being pointed out to us, as it may have affected road safety."

Colin McNeil, manager of the Lothian and Borders Safety Camera Partnership, said: "The safety camera situated on Minto Street is set to detect vehicles driving above 30mph and has not been altered.

"We will not be enforcing at this area now until the sign is covered up."