It may only have lasted a few days, but a fake speed camera which appeared mysteriously overnight in Curbridge, near Witney, certainly caused an impact.

No-one seems to know whether it was the work of a concerned resident or a prankster, but the dummy camera was so convincing it fooled both drivers and villagers.

The giveaway, according to Curbridge and Lew parish council clerk John Ackerman, was the "slightly flimsy" post and the fact that it was pointing in the wrong direction.

Otherwise, it looked like the real thing, with the familiar bright yellow colour, correct logo and a bike reflector, no doubt aimed at catching the sunlight and mimicking the flash of a real speed camera.

It appeared nearly two weeks ago near the Lord Kitchener pub, on the outskirts of Curbridge Playing Fields.

A few days later it toppled over and had disappeared by last Tuesday.

Mr Ackerman, who lives in Curbridge, said: "It has certainly caused some smiles and everyone has been talking about it.

"The thing is that it actually worked drivers were slowing down. But it was illegal and we had to report it to the highways authority. Whoever made it certainly went to a lot of effort, so it will be interesting to see if it reappears."

Mr Ackerman said there had been a problem with cars travelling too fast through Curbridge, but the speed limit had been lowered from 40mph to 30mph and the parish council hoped this would have an effect.

Oxfordshire County Council's principal road safety officer Geoff Barrell said: "Obviously this is not something we condone. We would strongly discourage people from indulging in this kind of thing."