WHEN it’s a ‘fair cop’ most motorists caught speeding will hold their hands up.

But the proliferation of gatsos over the past decade has often been accompanied by an over-riding feeling of injustice.

And that must certainly now be the emotion felt by hundreds who fell foul of a speed limit change on the A59. The Longsight Road near Abbott Brow was reduced from 40mph to 30mph late last year.

But highways bosses didn’t embark on a high-profile publicity campaign for the change on such a busy road.

Instead they placed a warning sign AFTER motorists had passed the speed camera.

The result is that hundreds of people have got speeding fines, including three Blackburn Rovers players.

In recent years there has been an easing in the hard-line stance against speeders.

The limit at which you get prosecuted was increased firstly by former Chief Constable Paul Stephenson. Now you can go to 42mph and still have the option of a speed awareness course to avoid points.

But there continue to be heavy-handed incidents - like the issue on the A59 - which leave people feeling they have been duped.