A mobile speed camera van spotted parked on double yellow lines in a cycle lane was not breaking the law, Dorset Police have said.

The marked van was snapped by Mike George, 24, as he walked to work at West Quay Road last Friday morning around 8am.

He told the Echo: “I just think it takes the Mickey a bit. If they are meant to be making Dorset’s roads safer then that seems a bit counterproductive.”

A spokesman for Dorset Police said the camera van operators had parked to place a speed indicator device and would have been there for a maximum of 10 minutes.

She added: “The operators are unloading and therefore have dispensation to park while placing the SID – there is no closer location without having to carry the SID to the post, which is a bulky piece of equipment.”

She added that there was clear visibility in both directions and the van was clearly visible.