Speed camera use reviewed after government cuts

[dutchman]

Speed cameras in parts of the West Midlands could be turned off after a UK-wide funding cut of £38m.



Government funding for them will also end, leading some councils and safety partnerships to review their use.

Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership is to review all road safety measures and Warwickshire County Council said it would look at its use of the cameras.

West Midlands Police said it is also reviewing them and West Mercia partnership will start in April.

A spokesman for Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership, made up of officials from city and county councils and the emergency services, said they wanted to continue to reduce the number of people killed or injured in the county despite the funding cuts.

Remains priority

"We are determined to face the current financial challenges head-on while continuing to provide a first-class service to the people of Staffordshire," Staffordshire county councillor Mike Maryon said.

There are 263 fixed cameras in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, the partnership said.

About 6,000 cameras have appeared in the UK since 1992. They generate about £100m in fines each year, figures show.

Oxfordshire County Council has already switched off its 72 fixed cameras.

The Department for Transport has said road safety remains a priority for councils despite speed camera cuts.