IS that the sound of cash tills I can hear jingling? Oh no silly me, it's just the sound, of yet more speed cameras being erected around Lancashire.

Never ones to stare a gift horse in the mouth, those reponsible for road safety have placed a bumper order for more of the one-eyed monsters to scatter liberally around our roads raising cash with every flash.

Statistics reveal there willl be 230 cameras in Lancashire by next month and around 500 of the infernal things by the end of 2004.

The traditional argument put forward in defence of speed cameras is that they prevent accidents caused by speeding motorists. Yet a recent survey by a leading motoring magazine revealed that more cameras nationally were being sited on the UK's safest roads than on dengerous stretches.

"You wouldn't catch us doing that," to paraphrase the response of the Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety. "We place cameras at places which have a history of accidents and a high number of injuries."

Funny, I don't recall seeing any speed cameras on the notorious Grane Road.

As has been widely stated the £60 fines which drivers face when caught out by a speed camera will mainly be spent on more cameras and publicity.

Therefore the more cameras, the more drivers will be caught, the more the revenue raised, allowing yet more cameras to be bought. Taking this to a logical conclusion it won't be long before we've got a speed camera on every road.

Now if only I could find the name of the company that manufactures them, their shares would be well worth investing in.