Only quarter of West Midlands speed cameras in use

Just 73 out of 305 speed cameras in the West Midlands are still in use, figures revealed today. Funding cuts and rising costs of processing old style wet film have taken their toll on cameras.

Police are now being forced to move equipment between bases in areas where speeding is at its worst.

The budget from councils for speed cameras was slashed by £750,000 last April, leaving West Midlands Police to foot the remaining £1 million with funding from the Highways Agency.

West Midlands Police spokesman Gina Lycett said: "There are 305 fixed speed camera housings across the West Midlands area. Of those 73 are in use.

"West Midlands Police classifies cameras as either red, amber or green, depending on the danger levels of the road. We also have white sites. The grading is based on a combination of collision and speed history.

"The green and white sites are not currently used.

"This year 13 sites not used last year are being utilised based on the yearly statistics. Mobile speed enforcement vans are used by West Midlands Police at over 100 sites."

Replacing old wet film cameras with digital ones would cost £1.2m.

Road safety minister Mike Penning said: "The Government pledged to end the war on the motorist and we are delivering. Speed cameras should not be the default solution to reduce accidents and that is why we stopped central government funding.

"It should be for local councils, using local knowledge and local awareness of other priorities, to decide which options are needed in their area."

Wolverhampton transport chief Councillor Peter Bilson said: "Speed cameras need to be brought into the 21st century with digital technology. Cameras are a valuable tool for road safety if they can be brought up to date."

West Midlands Police also gets funding for speed cameras from running speed awareness courses.

Staffordshire Police is not using 130 out of its 263 cameras following cutbacks. But there are six mobile cameras in operation.

By Political Editor Daniel Wainwright