AT LEAST 30 of Lancashire's speed cameras are set to be turned off because they are not reducing accidents, it has been revealed.

Highways chief Tim Ashton said the full results of a review of every single camera were ‘imminent’.

But the county councillor revealed between 30 and 40 of Lancashire’s 290 fixed sites were ‘not performing’.

Those axed would remain in place, but with a bag placed over them, Coun Ashton said.

The review was prompted by the government’s decision to cut funding for road safety partnerships.

But Coun Ashton said no final decision had yet been made on the future of the Lancashire partnership, which operates the county's speed camera network on behalf of councils and the police.

A £1.2million funding grant has already been withdrawn, but the county council pumped in an extra £600,000 in to keep the partnership going this financial year.

The county council was unable to provide figures on how much would be saved if 30 speed cameras were turned off.

It is not known if any of the sites turned over a profit through fines issued to motorists.

Coun Ashton said: "We are looking at the data to see where they have worked in terms of reducing serious injuries and some less serious injuries.

“We have to analyse that a little bit further, but where a speed camera doesn’t work I believe it is an unfair tax on the motorist.

"It is taking money off them because they are going a bit too fast but not causing accidents.

“I’d rather use that money on more effective methods of reducing accidents - which we are committed to doing in Lancashire."

On the partnership, he said: They’re going to have to work a bit cleverer in terms of enforcement.

“The number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads has got to come down and the RSP may be the right way to do it."

There are 290 fixed speed cameras on Lancashire’s highways as well as six mobile enforcement vans rotated around 155 sites of ‘community concern’ plus 70 ‘core sites’ as part of the casualty reduction strategy.