MOTORISTS face a speed camera lottery depending on where they are in the country, according to government figures released yesterday.
A league table revealing the concentration of speed traps per area has shown Merseyside and Cheshire as being two of the regions with the fewest number of cameras in the UK.
Mid and South Wales has the highest concentration with 377 speed traps compared to 46 in Merseyside and 42 in Cheshire.
Hertfordshire is at the bottom of the league table with only 31 speed cameras.
"The deployment of cameras is a bit of a lottery," said Edmund King, executive director of the RAC Foundation for Motoring. "The easiest solution is to put up a camera and some partnerships are far keener on them than others. There are such huge discrepancies that it isn't a coherent national policy."
It is the first time the information has been made public and was released by transport minister, Dr Stephen Ladyman, in written answer to a Parliamentary question posed by Conservative Shadow Transport Secretary Chris Grayling.
The league table has caused anger amongst motoring groups who believe the government is permitting irregular enforcement.
"It is thoroughly inconsistent," said Tony Vickers, campaign manager at the Association of British Drivers.
"Cameras are only introduced as a last resort by some partnerships but others are indiscriminate about where they put them.
"The number of speed cameras often bears little or no relation to road safety.
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