Figures released today by Department for Transport showing latest accounts of the various speed camera partnerships reveal that most partnerships issued far fewer fines than expected.

Difference between 'operational case' and 'actual' figures for each partnership:

Avon and Somerset -36%West Midlands  -30%Greater Manchester -26%Derbyshire  -25%Cleveland  -24%Cambridgeshire  -22%Wiltshire and Swindon -17%London   -16%Hampshire  -16%Norfolk   -14%Cheshire  -14%Suffolk   -13%Warwickshire  -12%Nottinghamshire  -12%Kent and medway  -12%Hertfordshire  -11%Bedfordshire and Luton -10%Devon and Cornwall -10%Dorset   -9%Mid and South Wales -8%West Mercia  -5%Surrey   -4%Thames Valley  -3%Northamptonshire -3%Cumbria   -3%Gloucestershire  -2%North Wales  -1%West Yorkshire  0%Merseyside  1%Humberside  1%South Yorks  2%Northumbria  3%Lincolnhire  7%Essex   9%Staffordshire  10%Sussex   10%Leicestershire  11%Lancashire  15%

* 27 out of 38 partnerships issued fewer fines than expected.

* In 18 partnerships the shortfall was 10% or greater

* In 6 partnerships the shortfall was greater than 20%

Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign(www.safespeed.org.uk) said: "If there's one thing that has characterised the speed camera programme from start to finish it's wild optimism. Every single new set of real world figures makes speed cameras look worse. The beauty is fading, and not before time. Speed cameras are a failed road safety policy.They have made road safety worse; cost over £1 billion since 1993 and issued over 16 million fixed penalty notices."

"The reputation of speed cameras sinks further with every day that passes. How much longer do we have to wait for the inevitable admission of failure and the final scrapping of all the infernal devices?"

"Speed cameras are entirely founded on false assumptions, dodgy science and wishful thinking."