MORE cash is to be pumped into the campaign to reduce the number of people killed or injured in motorcycle crashes in North Yorkshire.

The joint campaign held by the police and the county council last year was judged to be successful and effective in reducing the speed of traffic, motorbikes and otherwise.

Now it is to be intensified next season because officials believe more funding will be available to meet the additional police overtime under the county council's local public service agreement.

Chief Constable Della Cannings and the authority's director of environmental services, Mike Moore, said the campaign had brought significant benefits in terms of more responsible motorbike riding.

In a joint report to the county committee for Hambleton, they said: "Anecdotal feedback to police officers carrying out enforcement work has confirmed a heightened awareness.

"Despite the fact that 2004 was a much wetter year than 2003, which might account for lower numbers of motorcyclists, there is no hard evidence to support this.

"It is a fact, however, that motorcycle casualties show a 30 per cent reduction countywide compared with the previous year, whereas this trend does not appear to have been replicated in neighbouring counties.

"It is not considered unreasonable to assume, therefore, that this joint speed enforcement initiative has had a very real effect on reducing the numbers of motorcycle casualties on the roads in the county."

The joint campaign was known as Operation Halter and ran from April to early November last year.

Sixteen routes were targeted, each of which was chosen after analysis of accident statistics, speeding reports and complaints of noise disturbance.

They included the A170 Thirsk to Scarborough road, B1257 Stokesley to Helmsley road and the B1363 York to Helmsley road.

No evidence has emerged to date that the intensive enforcement activities of the police led to any significant displacement of the problem to other routes in the county.