I THINK we already know that communications (except to take your money off you) are not a strong point between the general public and the Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety, but now it appears that the quango staff are not even communicating with one another.

On the one hand, we have Ms Linda Sanderson, the partnership's communications manager saying (LET, September 13) " . . . and our partnership has done its utmost to ensure that the signing and conspicuousness of our enforcement sites is maintained at the highest level."

But then on the other hand we have its project manager Ian Bell defending the use of an unmarked Hertz rental white van as a mobile camera unit telling another newspaper: "Yes, the van was there to catch motorists breaking the speed limit, but this is something we have spent thousands of pounds publicising."

Perhaps a small amount of his publicity money may aid Ms Sanderson's utmost efforts at conspicuousness at the infamous 'scamera' on Whalley Road, Great Harwood.

It is about time the officials involved swallowed their pride, admitted their gross incompetence and provided signs in the vicinity of this camera to the same standards as the other cameras in Hyndburn and the rest of the county.

The effect of this would be to release court time to prosecute real criminals rather than the steady flow of pensioners for doing what they have been doing, uneventfully and lawfully for many years.

They now find themselves being victimised by Mr Bell and his unelected, unaccountable, self-financing quango.

Or is the reality that the provision of a 30mph repeater sign prior to the camera, standard on the overwhelming majority of fixed and mobile camera sites, would reduce the cash flow, affect the partnership's business plan and indirectly, the staff salary structure?

ADRIAN SHURMER (former Lancashire Police driving instructor), Lyndon Avenue, Great Harwood.