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This traffic cop with a speed camera looks so realistic that passing motorists in Sefton are automatically hitting the brakes as soon as they catch sight of the figure.

In fact the enforcement officer is a scarecrow dressed in a high-vis jacket. The speed camera, meanwhile, is made up of a bleach bottle covered with tin foil.

The scarecrow - named 'Speedo' - was created by Edie Pope after a string of road traffic incidents caused by people driving carelessly or too fast.

The 71-year-old parish councillor, who runs Church View Farm Shop in Southport Road, Lydiate, decided to take action after her plea for speed cameras at the accident blackspot fell on deaf ears.

The scarecrow's arms and legs are made up of two pairs of ladies' black tights filled with straw.

She said: "People have been slowing down thinking it's real, and flashing their lights to warn others.

"The effect has been dramatic. It's amazing how much the traffic has slowed down.

"Even the police have been taking pictures of her."

The scarecrow was created by Edie as part of the local scarecrow festival, but has proved such a hit with locals that she is planning to keep it there even after the festival has finished.

She said: "It was even stolen and found in a nearby field with people thinking it was a dead body before being returned. A runner saw it and thought someone had been decapitated.

"I put her back together and she's now back on duty.

"Only one person has told me it's not for them. Well, a cyclist going under a car is not for me, so the scarecrow will be staying where it is."