Tourists have made a Brighton and Hove speed camera the most lucrative in Sussex.

The unit in Marine Parade in Brighton issued 1,746 fines to drivers breaking the speed limit at the site last year - more than any other camera in the county.

Experts believe the roads are becoming safer as the number of tickets issued by the most profitable cameras fell by two-thirds in four years.

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act showed one camera caught more than 6,000 speeding drivers in 2005 - worth up to £389,000 in fines if motorists did not pay up immediately.

The figures reveal that in 2005, 6,485 fixed-penalty notices were issued after drivers were caught breaking the law by the camera in Preston Road, Brighton.

In 2006 4,017 were snapped near the A21 Johns Cross roundabout near Hastings and in 2007 3,857 were caught by the camera in Gatwick Road, Crawley.