Two of Mimico’s top money-earning automated speed enforcement cameras have been vandalized and made inoperable by what appears to be orange spray paint.

The cameras are located on Stanley Avenue, near Elizabeth Street; and on Mimico Ave., and Station Rd., according to photos of the vandalized cameras posted on social media.

The Stanley Avenue camera gained media notoriety after city statistics showed that between Dec. 1 and Dec. 31, issued 2,888 tickets or 13 per cent of all the fines issued.

A vehicle was caught on Stanley Avenue going 71 km an hour in a 30 km an hour zone, the highest speed noted, with a fine of $607.

The camera on Mimico Avenue, which is in between two elementary schools caught 408 offenders much less than on Stanley Avenue. The highest speed was clocked at 66 km an hour in a 30 km an hour zone with the highest fine at $532.

Area residents say the cameras play an important role in protecting local children from motorists speeding through area streets.

“I couldn’t imagine how valuable these speed cameras are to the community, especially that there are a lot of kids in the area,” Mark wrote on social media. “It’s sad to see both being tampered with…”

Mark used to live in the area and “used to pass by this place almost every day with my wife.”

Shari wondered if the vandals who spray painted the camera will be captured on video.

There were no warnings about the vandalized cameras from Toronto Police on their social media pages.

Fifty automated speed enforcement (ASE)  cameras were installed, two per ward, across Toronto in community safety zones (near schools) and began issuing speeding tickets last summer.

There were 2,057 repeat offenders across all the cameras in December, with one driver receiving 15 tickets for speeding on both Stanley Avenue and Mimico Avenue, which are also one-way streets.

Tickets through ASE cameras are fines only; no demerit points are issued. The fines are also billed and mailed to the registered vehicle owner, regardless of who was driving. The registered vehicle owner’s driving record will not be impacted through these tickets, the city said.

The cameras were previously installed on different streets across Toronto but were moved in late November to new locations and began issuing tickets again Dec. 1.

The City of Toronto said a total of 22,180 speeding tickets were mailed out to vehicle owners in the second round of locations within the first month of December.