A HAMPSHIRE couple could be forced to remove a fake speed camera following a fatal accident just yards from their front door.

Police have confirmed that officers are investigating whether the bogus safety device had any link to the crash.

Policeman's daughter Nicola Chapman, 20, of Totton, was a front seat passenger in a Ford Fiesta driven by a 19-year-old woman from Southampton.

Miss Chapman died instantly when the vehicle, pictured left, veered off Winsor Road, Winsor in the New Forest last Sunday

The fake camera, pictured above, was installed by bed and breakfast proprietors Simon Wright and his wife Elaine, in a bid to stop motorists from flouting the 40mph limit on Winsor Road.

Residents say drivers often hurtle along the narrow country road at speeds of up to 70mph.

Mr Wright said: "I decided to do something about it and put the 'camera' on a telegraph pole outside my house a year ago.

"Initially it had quite an impact.

"Two young lads knocked on the door and asked if it was a real camera. I asked them if they'd been speeding but they didn't answer.

"When I walk up the road I often look back and watch car brake lights go on as drivers see the camera.

"I want real speed cameras to be installed, and one of the policemen I spoke to after the accident said we might get them after what happened."

Police are still attempting to establish the cause of the collision.

Asked if the artificial camera could have distracted the 19-year-old driver, Mr Wright said: "I can't see how - there were no skid marks."

Other residents said the badly- injured driver told people at the scene that she crashed after swerving to avoid a rabbit in the road.

But a Hampshire Police spokesman said: "Officers will be looking at the presence of the fake speed camera as part of their inquiry."

A source close to the investigation said Mr and Mrs Wright might be asked to remove the dummy device, depending on what the driver said when she was interviewed about the accident.

Roger Vincent of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said: "We must await the outcome of the police investigation.

"But as a general rule we would not advise people to put up fake speed cameras as they may have the potential to distract drivers."

The Hampshire Safety Camera Partnership aims to cut the number of people killed or injured on the county's roads.

A spokesman said: "Generally we wouldn't recommend people to put up signs or artificial cameras, but if people can't drive without being distracted by roadside objects they shouldn't be behind the wheel.

"There are all sorts of potential distractions and part of safe driving is being able to cope with them."

This is a view echoed by the Hampshire-based motoring organisation, the AA. A spokesman said: "Fake speed cameras are a distraction, but how do you compare them with eye-catching adverts or photographs of pretty girls promoting films? Drivers have got to learn not to be distracted.

"They should also be aware of the speed limit. That way they won't be troubled by the presence of speed cameras, real or otherwise."

Geraint James, chairman of Copythorne Parish Council, said: "People are concerned about the speed and volume of traffic using Winsor Road. It's an antiquated road that is being used more and more, mostly as a rat-run."