MOTORISTS who refuse to cut their speed are warned they WILL be caught out as 48 new speed cameras get ready to go on-line across the county.

The cameras have been placed at "hotspots" that have a history of bad crashes and a high number of speeding motorists including Clifton Drive South in St Annes and Amounderness Way in Cleveleys. The new cameras are launched by the Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety and bring the total number in the county up to 117. There are plans to install 320 by the end of 2004.

The move has received a mixed reaction from residents and motorists and The Association of British Drivers is campaigning to amend the rules on where speed cameras are erected.

But Linda Sanderson, from the partnership said: "Since traffic cameras were introduced in Lancashire the number of accidents on roads with speed cameras have been cut by 34 per cent.

"There has been a 63 per cent reduction in accidents resulting in death or serious injury."

She said that the majority of crashes occur on roads with a speed limit of 30mph or less and at 35mph people are twice as likely to kill someone than they are at 30mph.

Linda added: "The police don't actually receive the money from the fines. The money goes to the Lord Chancellor's office and the use of fixed cameras actually frees up the time of police officers to carry out their duties."

She also said that the idea of "zero tolerance" was a myth. "The police have a discretion to allow drivers to go an additional ten per cent plus 2mph over the speed limit before taking action."