NEARLY 120,000 drivers have been caught speeding at notorious blackspots on Suffolk roads over the past three years, it emerged today.However, despite the staggering figure captured by speed cameras, last year showed a reduction in the numbers flashed to 34,106 from 43,029 in 2004/05 - a decrease of 21 per cent.

NEARLY 120,000 drivers have been caught speeding at notorious blackspots on Suffolk roads over the past three years, it emerged today.

However, despite the staggering figure captured by speed cameras, last year showed a reduction in the numbers flashed to 34,106 from 43,029 in 2004/05 - a decrease of 21 per cent.

Terry Marsh, project manager of Suffolk Safety Camera Partnership, said the drop was a continuing trend as 2006/07 figures had gone down by 14pc from the previous year in which there were 39,698 offenders

Mr Marsh said the decline has resulted in a decrease in the amount of accidents which have led to deaths or serious injuries at the most perilous locations in Suffolk.

Mr Marsh said: “The approach we have taken does appear to be quite successful. The figures we are showing quite clearly indicate compliance with speed limits is improving considerably.

“I think it is primarily due to people receiving the message. The government have some quite hard-hitting adverts about the results of speeding and they seem to be well received. People remember them, particularly the one with the little girl who recovers from being crumpled to sit in the middle of the road. If you ask people what message they have seen about speeding, then that's the one they really remember. It's very traumatic and attention grabbing.

“Obviously people are conscious of the fact there's a risk of being caught and punished, but I hope that's a secondary factor.

“I don't think we have alienated significant numbers of people. Regrettably there will always be some who think the law does not apply to them.

“We have no wish to prosecute people. All we want to do is persuade people to slow down.

“We were hoping to see a 40 per cent reduction at our sites when we set up (more than four years ago). That seemed to be a reasonable benchmark. The reality is on average across all of our sites the reduction is running at around 80pc.

“The locations are all selected on the basis of history of killed or seriously injured crashes where speed is identified as a problem.”

In Suffolk there are 11 permanent sites in which six fixed cameras are situated on a revolving basis. Six mobile cameras are also deployed each week.

Not all speeding motorists are fined and given penalty points, some are offered speed awareness courses as a penalty.

The money brought in by fines goes to the Treasury. An annual fixed grant is then given to run the Suffolk Speed Camera Partnership.

The figures revealed today do not include all motorists caught speeding by Suffolk police.