By David Simister





Shoot past a speed camera on one of Lancashire's roads and there's only a one in ten chance it'll actually be able to snap you breaking the law.



That's the claim from a survey carried out by Which? last week after it submitted Freedom of Information Requests to each of the nation's 43 police forces, and found that just 10% of the county's speed cameras are working at any given time - one of the lowest figures in the country.



Martyn Hocking, editor of Which? Magazine, said of the findings:



“Speed cameras in some areas are always operational, whereas in others there could be a one in 10 chance the camera you've passed isn't working. It really is a tale of two counties.”



Police authorities, including Lancashire's were asked how many speed camera housings they had and how many were operational under a Freedom of Information Act request. Merseyside Police, which oversees the scheme in neighbouring Sefton, was one of just five forces who refused to release any information on their speed cameras, while the area with the greatest number of working speed cameras was Avon and Somerset at 94%.



Lancashire Road Safety Partnership, which oversees the county's speed cameras, is currently under review and was not in a position to comment as the figures were released, and while The Champion approached both Lancashire County Council and Lancashire Constabulary for a response to the figures they also declined to comment.



However, County Councillor Tim Ashton, the county council's cabinet member for highways and transport, dismissed the survey's findings as “wrong” and said that the county council is currently reviewing its policy on fixed speed cameras, following moves reported last year to reduce the number of working cameras by 10%.



“It is true that the cameras are moved around and at any one time there are many that are operational and many that are not operational. But to say that just 10 per cent are working is wrong. I know for a fact that is wrong,” he said.



“We are looking at the data to see where they have worked in terms of reducing serious injuries and less serious injuries. ”We have to analyse that a little bit further, but where a speed camera doesn’t work I believe it is an unfair tax on the motorist.“

