An ANPR 'speed camera' van driver has suffered the ultimate irony by being caught red-handed scrolling through social media, while travelling along a dual carriageway at 60mph.
The driver was filmed driving down the A55 in north Wales by two would-be amateur detectives, Simeon Haughton and his business partner Liam Rudge, who drove past the vehicle plastered in blue and fluorescent yellow markings and the words 'Retail Crime Unit' on each side.
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The pair noticed that the driver had her phone in her hand and so promptly began filming a video that has since gone viral.
The footage shows that the woman has only one hand on the wheel, with the other seemingly scrolling on her mobile as she was speeding 'between 50 and 60mph'.
The video then shows the driver quickly dropping the mobile out of her hand after realising she's being filmed, before glaring back at Haughton.
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The van driver then pulls a black scarf over her mouth and nose to try and hide her face as Simeon continues to film.
It's since turned out that the driver was in fact a private security worker rather than a police officer, but even so, the clip has now racked up over 3,500 likes and comments on Facebook, with many mistaking it as a police van due to the blue and fluorescent yellow marking, speed camera signs and Retail Crime Unit notice.
Haughton and Rudge remain amused that they were able to catch a private security worker, however, who they reckoned had probably been "handing out fines" while seemingly using a phone at the wheel herself.
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Haughton said: "We were gobsmacked, to be honest. You just don't expect to see something like that.
"She obviously saw us filming her and quickly dropped the phone. Because we continued to film her, she pulled her neck scarf up over her face."
He added: "She clearly knew she'd been rumbled. If we'd have been caught doing the same thing we'd have been hit with a fine. It's like she thought it's one rule for them, one for everyone else.
"We couldn't believe it. The fact it was an ANPR van and she'd probably been handing out fines while she was driving down the A55 on her phone makes it worse."
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Haughton added: "She was probably driving between 50-60mph.
"We first drove past it [the van] and I noticed at the corner of my eye that the screen was bright. She had it in her lap but because the window was quite low you could she was scrolling through Facebook."
People commenting on the clip were far from oblivious to the irony.
One commenter said: "One rule for them not for all of us hay [sic]."
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Another person wrote: "She must have issued many tickets to the motorists before she got set off for a different hideout to issue more tickets to the motrists [sic].
Someone else said: "Do as I say, not as I do! Comes to mind!!!"
A spokesperson for Cheshire Police confirmed it wasn't a police van or officer in the vehicle and they believed it to be from a private security company.
They said: "We are looking into the circumstances of the footage circulating of a driver in a private security company vehicle.
"Cheshire Police has recently taken part in a month-long national crackdown against road users using mobile phones.
"It is against the law to use a mobile phone while driving. If you are caught you will face the prospect of a £200 fine and six penalty points on your licence. If you are under 21, you could lose your licence."
Featured Image Credit: Kennedy News & MediaTopics: UK News, Social Media, Car