COUNTY Durham traffic police have launched a month-long crackdown on speeding drivers.

Crews are taking the force's mobile speed cameras to problem areas, including major routes such as the A67 at Darlington and the A690 at West Rainton, near Durham City.

Since the cameras were introduced three years ago, police say driving speeds have been reduced and the number of accidents has fallen.

Between 1997 and last year the number of cars breaking the 30mph limit on the A67 at Coniscliffe Road, Darlington, fell by almost 20 per cent.

Accidents on the A690, at West Rainton, fell from 15 in 1997 to six last year.

Accidents dropped from 12 to four on the A694 at Hamsterley, near Consett, and the toll on the A167 at Durham City and Darlington was halved.

Durham police's head of traffic, Superintendent Barry Peart, said: "In a sense we hope to be unsuccessful in catching people speeding.

"But in reality we know some drivers go well above the speed limit and the bottom line is that excess speed is a huge contributory factor in causing deaths and serious injuries on the roads. These campaigns are not about issuing as many fixed penalty tickets as possible. Our intention has always been to concentrate on education, not prosecution, and we think these campaigns have a long-term effect in persuading motorists to drive more carefully.''

The targeted roads are:

Derwentside - B6310 Burnopfield; A691 Durham Road and Cutlers Hall Road. Consett; A692 Dipton; B6301 Cornsay Colliery; A693 Chester Road, East Stanley; A694 Ebchester to Hamsterley; and B6168 New Kyo to Flint Hill.

Durham and Chester-le-Street - Crime Rigg Bank, Shadforth; The Orbital, Chester-le-Street; B6312/B6532 Sacriston; A690 West Rainton; A167 Toll House Road, Durham, and North Lodge, Chester-le-Street; and Finchale Road, Durham.

Easington - Seaton Lane, Seaham; B1285 Murton; Hall Walks/Rosemary Lane, Easington Village; Passfield Way, Peterlee; B1280 Wingate/Station Town; Essington Way, Peterlee; and A1086 Coast Road.

Darlington - Salters Lane North/Whinfield Road/Great Burdon; Middleton St George; A68 West Auckland Road; A67 Coniscliffe Road; A167 North Road; McMullen Road; and Yarm Road.

Sedgefield - Garmondsway Road, West Cornforth; Woodham Way and Agnew Way, Newton Aycliffe; Dean Road, Ferryhill; Salters Lane/North End/Station Road, Sedgefield; Middridge Lane and Spout Lane, Shildon; B1278 Trimdon/Trimdon Grange; B6288 Crookdale/Tudhoe/Spennymoor.

The Wear and Tees Valley areas -Leazes Lane, St Helen's Auckland; A689 High Street/Bridge Street and Hargill Road, Witton-le-Wear; A67 Bowes Road, Barnard Castle; Woodhouse Lane and Etherley Lane, Bishop Auckland; the A66; A689 Stanhope; A690 between Low Willington and West Road, Crook.