A NORTH-EAST motoring expert has backed calls by police for more cameras on the roads - including the controversial use of covert devices.

Mick Bennett, head of the Cleveland Safety Camera Partnership, has welcomed the call by Richard Brunstrom, chief constable of North Wales and a former assistant chief constable of Cleveland Police.

At the weekend Mr Brunstrom said more hidden devices should be used and accused Government policy of being too heavily influenced by the "petrolhead" lobby, led by car enthusiasts, including Jeremy Clarkson, from BBC's Top Gear.

Earlier this week, an independent report, published by the Government, showed that the number of people killed or seriously injured at sites where speed cameras were in use fell by an average of 40 per cent over the three years to mid-2003.

Former traffic cop Mr Bennett, who believes the anti-speed camera lobby no longer has any case to argue, said: "These people get a lot of column space, but they cannot go on ignoring the evidence.

"Evidence shows that speed drops on roads where there are cameras, but when motorists move on to other roads without cameras, their speeds increase.

"In Texas, no one speeds because of a fear of being caught as police don't use marked vehicles to catch people speeding.

"I would like to see signs saying 'Welcome to Cleveland. We use cameras here' and then for us to be allowed to put the cameras where the needs are."

He said another problem was that accidents had to happen before cameras could be put up. "To me that just isn't right," he said. "Residents phone us asking for speed cameras but effectively we have to say 'sorry you can't have one until a few people have been knocked over'."

He said people needed to realise that the consequences of speeding could be equated with drink driving.

"It's a matter of changing culture," said the former head of the road policing unit. "When, like I have, you've been to see the family of someone whose loved ones been killed on the road, because people refuse to slow down, you realise we have to do everything we can to make the roads safer."