Speed cameras are trapping up to 1,000 drivers a week in Sussex, it was revealed today. Each faces a £60 fine, meaning they collectively pay up to £60,000 a week.

Sussex Police said the money was ploughed back into speed cameras to make roads safer.

Emma Rogers, communications manager for the Sussex Safety Camera Partnership (SSCP), said police and safety experts did not expect the high numbers being caught.

She said: "It is surprising because all the cameras are bright yellow, clearly visible and well signed. Roads are also signed to indicate the speed limit and always where the speed limit changes.

"So to all those caught speeding, it is either deliberate or down to a lack of concentration."

There are 42 cameras around the county and more are planned for crash hot spots.

All cameras flash at speeders but only a percentage carry film. Police rotate which ones are operational.

Ms Rogers said each could detect a maximum 400 offences and some ran out of film more quickly than others.

She said: "At a site like Marine Parade in Brighton, with its high volume of traffic, the film will fill up in just a few days.

"Their success is gauged by the reduction of accidents and speed and not the number of offenders.

"The new camera at Coldean Lane, Brighton, has already indicated a reduction in the average speed of 15mph."

Before the Coldean Lane camera was installed in February, 79 per cent drove above the speed limit. Now only three per cent drove too fast.

She said: "At the Kingsway in Hove, the accident rate reduced from 24 in the three years before the installation of the camera in 1996 to 15 in 1999 to 2001 inclusive."