Motorists are being warned that they could be caught speeding by a police helicopter armed with a radar detection device.
More than 20 signs are being put up in Essex by the county council telling drivers that police are watching from the sky.
The council says the helicopter is equipped with a "skyshout" public address system that could be used to "warn of a detectio
n".
But the TaxPayers' Alliance said the helicopter, thought to cost about £1,000 an hour to run, would be "a very expensive speed camera" – and signs warning of it was "possibly not the best way to encourage drivers to keep their eyes on the road".
County council officials said it was the brainchild of the Essex Casualty Reduction Board, which operates speed cameras and is made up of local authority and police representatives.
Board chairman Norman Hume said the signs were primarily aimed at motorcyclists.
"There is a perception that it is sometimes easier for motorcyclists to evade detection of offences because of the speed they travel at.
"We feel that signs warning of the likelihood of detection by air will be an extra incentive – part-icularly for motorcyclists, and all motorists – to drive safely and help us to reduce accidents further."
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