SPEED cameras across Teesside have led to a 27 per cent reduction in the number of road accidents over the past two years, figures released yesterday revealed.

According to the Cleveland Safety Camera Partnership, fatal crashes are down by 17 per cent with the average speed of motorists dropping by nearly 5mph.

This means drivers on Teesside's congested roads are now travelling at an average of 32.5mph, compared with over 37mph just two years ago.

Mike Bennett, public relations manager for the safety camera partnership, hailed the results, saying they justified Cleveland Police's decision to place cameras on 33 of the force area's most troublesome roads.

He said: "These are very encouraging downward trends in speeds, collisions and casualties.

"However, the number of people being injured on our roads is still unacceptable and should be a reminder to all drivers of the need to slow down and drive within the speed limits.

"In the two years that safety cameras have been in use in the 33 target roads, they have helped prevent a total of 165 personal injury collisions and all the associated suffering that goes with all injuries on our roads.

"With every injury costing the local health authority up to £100,000, there is also a very real saving involved in these reductions.

"I would appeal to all drivers to concentrate on their driving and in particular their speed. Everyone can contribute to keeping casualties down by simply slowing down."

The figures seem to back up the Government's decision to leave Cleveland out of its Robbery Reduction Initiative earlier this year, which aimed to divert 5,000 traffic officers from our roads to tackle street crime.

Traffic officers across the country are to be put back on the beat to beef up squads targeting thugs in London, Merseyside, Lancashire, the West Midlands, Avon and Somerset, West and South Yorkshire, Thames Valley, Nottingham and Manchester.

Ashok Kumar, Labour MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, is against Cleveland's omission because, he said, Teesside has greater street crime than quieter areas such as Thames Valley or Avon and Somerset.

The Home Office said there were no immediate plans to extend the scheme to any of the North-East police forces, although that had not been ruled out.