THE letters to your Opinions Column castigating seemingly all aspects of speed cameras from their necessity; to their numbers; to their callous consequences; to the suspect motives behind their introduction; shows little sign of abating.

The reasoning behind their oppositions would seem to owe more to mere outrage than to valid argument.

Your columns on October 22 has another opponent who states that some like-minded correspondents are concerned that the saturation of speed cameras can be "Counter productive to the point that they are actually responsible for more accidents."

He goes on to quote statistics as reinforcing this point, by repeating reportings of alarming increases in road accidents where saturation coverage occurs.

Now I can understand opposition to speed cameras, but I cannot seem to grasp the logics of ultimate responsibility here. Whether sparse or saturation sited, how on earth can immobile, inanimate, unobtrusive metal signs (whose sole activity is to monitor the speed of passing vehicles and record speed limit transgressors) possibly be responsible for any accidents.

Do these speed cameras jump out in front of passing cars? Does their distinctive yellow colour blind approaching motorists? Do they shout "boo" as a motorist passes? Do they shout "say cheese" to speeding motorists prior to the photograph?

If any such apprehensible instances occur then it might be incumbent on the authorities to place CCTV cameras behind all speed cameras to catch the culprits in action. They could then be severely punished e.g. re-siting them in inner-city areas with large dog populations. The cost of such CCTV cameras could be met by surplus monies from speed camera prosecutions, since, post-saturation, these monies will be seeking a new home.

On the other hand, if none of these speed cameras behavioural problems exist then -- perish the thought -- it would appear that in the case of road accidents and the apportioning of responsibility between the driver and the speed camera, the finger of suspicion (or the two fingers of suspicion as the case may be) must surely point to the driver.

DEREK BEHAN, Meadow Rise, Blackburn.