New 'noise camera' which could be used to crackdown on boy racers is set up in Yorkshire

The technology is designed to use a video camera and microphones to catch out drivers who break the law by revving their engines unnecessarily or using illegal exhausts.

It takes a picture of the vehicle and records the noise level, to provide police with evidence which can be used to issue fines.

The Department of Transport has announced the camera was installed on Fell Lane in Keighley yesterday.

The camera will remain in place for two weeks, but Bradford Council said no fines will be issued during this trial as it is “for research only”.

It will then be taken to Bristol, Great Yarmouth and Rubery near Birmingham over the next two months.

It comes after MPs representing the three areas successfully applied to take part in the £300,000 Government-funded trial, which aims to help police forces crackdown on noise pollution.

Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said: “Rowdy road drivers beware.

“These new cameras will help the police clampdown on those who break the legal noise limits or use illegally modified exhausts to make excessive noise in our communities.

“We’ll be working closely with the local authorities and police to share any findings.

“I hope that this technology paves the way for quieter, peaceful streets across the country.”

Gloria Elliott, Chief Executive of the Noise Abatement Society, has welcomed the trial.

“Excessively noisy vehicles and anti-social driving causes disturbance, stress, anxiety and pain to many,” she said.

“It is unsafe and disrupts the environment and people’s peaceful enjoyment of their homes and public places.

“Communities across the UK are increasingly suffering from this entirely avoidable blight.

“The Noise Abatement Society applauds rigorous, effective, evidence-based solutions to address this issue and protect the public.”

The Department of Transport said the noise cameras, which were designed and developed by the technology firm MicrodB, have been tested extensively and if the trial is succesful, they will be rolled out nationwide.

Atkins-Jacobs Joint Venture is acting as a technical consultant on the project, and assisting with the designs and modelling.

Practice Director Andrew Pearce said: “We are fully expecting the trial in these four chosen locations to confirm what we have seen in testing, which is a highly targeted use of technology to ensure only those motorists making excessive noise will be subject to enforcement.”

Drivers who illegal modify an exhaust system to make a vehicle noisier can be fined £50 on the spot, under the Road Traffic Act 1988.

The Police Reform Act 2002 also states that drivers can be fined or have their vehicle seized if they are caught driving in a manner which “is likely to cause, alarm, distress or annoyance”.

Alex Ross-Shaw, Bradford Council’s lead member for Transport, said “I am delighted that Bradford have managed to secure the trial of noise cameras.

"Anti-social driving causes real upset and harm. People should not have to put up with excessively noisy vehicles in their communities.

“We welcome the development of technology that could, in the future, help identify drivers who wilfully ignore noise laws and allow enforcement action to be taken against them.”