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Safety Ads Boss in Speeding Row - Alan Salter
 THE boss of a Manchester advertising agency behind a "speed kills" radio campaign has been accused by police of speeding on his motorbike.
But Trevor Shepherd, 38, has vowed to fight the fixed penalty ticket for allegedly riding his Suzuki 1000 at 46mph in a 30mph limit in Macclesfield shortly after crossing the notorious A537 Cat and Fiddle road from Buxton.
He denies that he was speeding and says that the police officer who "caught" him with a hand-held device from a patrol car was unfairly hidden at a road junction when he should have been clearly visible.
Cheshire Police say this is not an acceptable defence.
Mr Shepherd, managing director of the Hartley Shepherd agency in Ardwick Green, which worked on the recent £80,000 "Strictly Come Speeding" campaign for north west speed camera partnerships, said: "I have written to the chief superintendent at Macclesfield and I am waiting to hear back - but I intend to go all the way with it.
"In the cold light of day there is no way that I was doing 46 mph and the police speed gun was not type approved to use against motorcycles."
The officer was parked in Buxton Old Road – which joins the A537 about 100 yards after the start of the 30mph limit - as Mr Shepherd, carrying a pillion passenger, rode past on Buxton Road on his way home to Marple after a Sunday morning ride.
He says he challenged the officer over the fact that he could not be seen by traffic from Buxton, but the constable had replied that he was clearly visible from the other direction.
Mr Shepherd said: "There is no doubt in my mind that this guy was hiding behind a garden wall and that is against the police's own code of practice.
I have never been involved in a serious accident and this is just crazy.
"What concerns me and the general public is the very different and confusing policies that the government run `safety camera' teams work to and the totally different policies that the local police forces work to."
In the Hartley Shepherd radio ad, a Bruce Forsyth sound alike introduces listeners to an episode of Strictly Come Speeding, then commentates as a car speeds up and eventually spins out of control.
It ends with the simple message: "Choose life. Slow down."
It was launched in Albert Square earlier this year with a pair of ballroom dancers, a wrecked car, and several "grim reapers" handing out promotional material.
A Cheshire Police spokesman said: "There is no requirement in law for an officer to be visible.
As part of our best practice we would always try to be clearly visible when checking speed but the fact that a driver could not see an officer would not be a defence."
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