The camera on the A605 Elton bypass, close to the notoriously treacherous junction leading to the village, is out of action after being set on fire.

A passing motorist alerted police after spotting the equipment in flames as a van parked on the opposite side of the road was driven away.

The arson attack comes only weeks after the same camera was repaired after being deliberately set on fire in July, and the latest repair bill could be as much as £37,000.

Inspector Clinton Hale, of the Cambridgeshire Safety Camera Partnership, said the vandalism had put people's lives in danger.

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He said: "The morons that do this don't give any consideration to the impact their crime could have on the number of road deaths in future.

"It is devastating for the community of Elton, because they are very aware of the danger at that particular location to the travelling public.

"As long as the camera is out of action, vehicle speeds will go up and if something goes wrong, someone will die.

"We will investigate this crime and take the necessary action to bring whoever is responsible before the courts."

Elton residents have long campaigned for safety improvements to the junction, which connects the B671 road from the village to a sweeping, downhill stretch of the A605 from Peterborough.

According to Cambridgeshire County Council records, there have been eight crashes at the junction since 2004.

In May 2006, Damian Nickson, a 38-year-old father from Dogsthorpe, Peterborough, was killed there when the van he was driving along the A605 was in collision with a lorry.

The county council's deputy leader, Mac Maguire, who represents Elton, condemned the vandals for their latest attack.

He said: "Any kind of vandalism is deplorable, but to attack a safety camera on a stretch of road which is well known as an accident blackspot adds insult to injury.

"These cameras are not there to make money for the police, they are there for the safety of road users. Attacking them is putting people's safety at risk."