FOR 10 years they have relentlessly mushroomed across Lancashire’s roads.

But now the future of the county’s speed cameras are under threat after March due to Government cuts aimed at ‘ending the war on the motorists’.

There are now 290 fixed cameras in the county, as well as another 225 mobile sites.

During this time the casualty rate has fallen in the county, but not as drastically as hoped.

One aspect not in doubt is the camera’s ability to make money. Last year £2.2million was recouped in fines.

Yet the Lancashire Road Safety Partnership, which runs the camera network, costs more than £2million a year to run.

And many motorists have suspected that many of the sites are in places which make the most money, rather than where pedestrians are protected.

For example we all know of cameras at the bottom of hills, far away from pedestrians.

Swindon axed its speed cameras last year and transport bosses said it hadn’t resulted in a rise in accidents.

It does seem that speed cameras are a small part of the overall solution and ministers have consistently failed to look deep enough.

For example, the last Government ignored the pleas of the Lancashire Telegraph’s Wasted Lives campaign to really toughen up the learner driving regime in line with many other countries.

Let’s hope the new government shows a willingness to tackle the REAL causes of fatalities on our roads.