LAST month we enjoyed a week's holiday in your very pleasant county. A few days after returning home I received a Welcome to Lancashire - nowgive us some more cash' speeding charge through the post.

I have since discovered that Lancashire is notorious for the number of cameras and fines, and yet the accident figures are not that wonderful.

Could it be more time is spent peering at the instrument panel than watching the road ahead?

After 43 years of accident free driving it now seems I am some sort of speeding fanatic - having done 36mph on a quiet, sunny Sunday evening, at about 6 o'clock, approaching the outskirts of Lancaster, on the not very well signed A6.

It seems nonsensical that at 30mph I could be picking my teeth, rolling a cigarette or distractedly scratching and be deemed safe, but at 31mph I could be doing none of those distracting things (which I generally don't!) and be considered dangerous?

The real irony is that in these days of crowded roads, pollution awareness and fuel costs, I rarely do more than 60mph on main roads anyway, preferring to give way to tail-gaiters and tearaways to get them away from me as quickly and safely as possible.

I will be doing the Speed Awareness course on the basis that it is well intentioned, I am never too old to learn more driving skills, and have no other reasonable choice! But I feel aggrieved that I have to come all the way down from Edinburgh to do it I'm surprised they trust me to travel on my own, having proved that I've been a lunatic driver for the past 43 years!

JOHN NOBLE, Edinburgh.