EVERY speed camera in East Lancashire has been given the all-clear by the Department for Transport - even though many don't conform with new Government guidelines.

But critics still believe half of the area's cameras should be axed because they will not comply with the stricter rules, introduced in April.

The Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety has been given the 'all clear' because it followed guidelines that were in force at the time the cameras were installed - and the new rules only apply to new sites.

Ribble Valley MP, Nigel Evans, whose Conservative party prompted the row nationally by calling for changes to speed cam policy and equipment not meeting new guidelines to be removed "

He added: "It is not within the spirit of the guidelines and quite frankly I will press the Home Office to ensure the new guidelines are followed for existing cameras as well.

"I think clearly the new guidelines are there because huge abuses have taken place in the past and the Government wants to ensure the same guidelines are followed everywhere."

There has been widespread confusion about the legislation governing speed cameras.

Transport Secretary Alistair Darling wrote to the partnership, and every other such group in the country, after concerns fixed camera sites were being installed against guidelines.

His department stressed there must have been four deaths or serious injuries in the vicinity in the previous three years to justify a camera. But it has emerged the criteria for cameras already installed involved minor accidents and speeding, as well as fewer serious smashes.

As a result, the Department of Transport has given the okay to all Lancashire's 320 cameras.

A spokesman for the department said: "Lancashire has responded and given us an assurance that all cameras meet the Government criteria.."

But a spokesman for the partnership responded: "Current guidance is that there must have been three people killed in the vicinity, six personal injury collisions or at least 20 per cent of drivers exceeding the speed limits at sites in the previous three years.

"The Government keeps changing the criteria and it is being upped again in April.

"When the partnership first went live in November 2001 there was no criteria governing cameras, except that they should be at locations where there had been speed-related accidents."

Ian Bell, who was project manager at the Lancashire partnership until four months ago, explained the decisions on siting the 320 cameras were made after extensive research to ensure they were in the right places.

He added: "Every site we proposed had to be sent to the national programme board to be approved by the Department of Transport."

Mr Bell now sits on the Government's national speed cameras policy board on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers.