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Drivers heading to France risk fines for using a satnav to alert them of speed traps.

The government there has put up 400 new cameras and axed many signs that show where existing ones are.

Brits have been warned it is against the law to spot them using a satnav.

The AA said: "You must disable the camera alert function."

Motorists who use satnavs to warn them of speed cameras while driving abroad face huge fines.

It is illegal to use them to detect fixed cameras in every European nation except the UK and Hungary, and on-the-spot fines can be as high as £2,634 in Italy.

Almost one in five UK motorists who have driven in Europe have been stopped by police, but new research by the Post Office reveals there is widespread confusion about European motoring regulations.

A third of British drivers are unclear about speed limits and two-thirds are uncertain about rules governing the use of speed camera alerts on satnavs.

Andrew Brown of Post Office Travel Money said: "Fines often have to be paid on the spot, sometimes in cash.

"It's really important to gen up on the current laws before setting out.

"The best advice is to play safe and disable the fixed speed camera warning."

In Britain both satnav fixed camera warnings and radar trap detectors are currently legal.