I FEEL it is imperative that a response is given to the allegations made against Lancashire Constabulary by your columnist Eric Leaver on October 29.

Through his column, Mr Leaver says that roadside safety cameras are switched off during the day, only to be turned on in the evening as a "revenue-raising ploy by police who surmise that drivers are more likely to go over the speed limit - get themselves clocked and fined - at night when the roads are less busy".

I can categorically state that this is most definitely not the case and never has occured in the history of the Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety. Live safety cameras currently remain live whatever the time of day or night.

Drivers who speed in the hours of darkness are not an easy target. Fewer drivers offend at night, however of those who do, their speed is on average 20 per cent higher than those caught during daylight hours.

Such higher speeds and the greater likelihood of encountering a drink driver, combined with reduced visibility and tiredness, makes night driving just as hazardous, if not more so, than daylight motoring. Compliance with speed limits is therefore just as important.

May I remind Mr Leaver that revenue generated by safety camera fines in Lancashire goes to the government and not to the police.

May I also remind him that safety cameras are only installed at known casualty hot spots (sites where accident data collated over a three year period is higher than average).

A recent independent survey shows that 80% of the public now accept the installation of safety cameras as a means to encourage adherence of the speed limit. It is about time Mr Leaver came to terms with them too. They are not the enemy, but rather a means of protection for all road users, which also free up the police to concentrate on other aspects of their work.

A EMBERTON (Mr), on behalf of the Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety, Blackburn