POLICE in East Lancashire today warned motorists not to think they can get away with breaking the speed limit.

The warning came as officers prepared to hand over policing of mobile speed camera sites to civilians, who will take over the duty from police next month.

Twelve mobile speed wardens will hit the streets of Lancashire in early May, once they have completed their training.

The civilian wardens, known as mobile enforcement technicians, will carry out all mobile speed enforcement in the region, allowing road traffic police to concentrate on tackling other crimes.

Police from Eastern and Pennine divisions will be carrying out no mobile enforcement until then as they hand over equipment.

But PC Andy Walton from Accrington's road policing unit said: "The fixed cameras will be operating in the usual manner and any traffic officer who encounters speeding while conducting a normal patrol will deal with it appropriately.

"Anyone caught speeding will be dealt with as deemed fit by the officer."

"We don't want people to think that they can take advantage of the fact there are no mobile cameras. It is a case of people maintaining a sensible approach to driving."

The technicians are being paid around £16,000 a year, with money coming out of the Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety's budget.

Two will be placed in each policing division of Lancashire, including Pennine Division, covering Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale, and Eastern, covering Blackburn, Darwen, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley.

The Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety, made up of local councils, the health service and police, have been training and are overseeing the work of the technicians.

The partnership's Lisa Sanderson has pledged to release details of where the technicians will be every Saturday in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph.