IT was a quiet afternoon in Bocholt in western Germany when a pigeon broke the calm and the speed limit, flying down a residential street at 45km/h (28mph) in a 30km/h zone.

A mobile speed camera flashed as soon as the pigeon flew past.

Authorities in the town, a short distance from the Dutch border, published the picture last week, and it has since gone viral.

Under normal circumstances the penalty for speeding would be €25 (US$28).

The bizarre event took place in February but Bocholt town hall’s Facebook account said it had taken some time to assess the pictures.

The town said that even with a 3km/h margin allowed in speeding cases, the pigeon had been going 12km/h too fast and was “on a collision course with vehicles and pedestrians.”

One local said it was clearly a racing pigeon, while another suggested an appropriate punishment would be community service as a carrier pigeon.

The Bocholt Facebook page said philosophically: “Whether and, above all, how the fast bird can and will pay its €25 on-the-spot fine remains to be seen.”

(SD-Agencies)