MORE speed cameras are on the way on the A140 - which the Evening Star is campaigning to make safer.The move is part of an improvement program for Suffolk's roads devised by the Safety Camera Partnership, which members of the Suffolk Police Authority have strongly voiced support for.

MORE speed cameras are on the way on the A140 - which the Evening Star is campaigning to make safer.

The move is part of an improvement program for Suffolk's roads devised by the Safety Camera Partnership, which members of the Suffolk Police Authority have strongly voiced support for.

The project aims to cut road accidents and save £5.6m of the community's cash.

Excessive or inappropriate speed is one cause of accidents where deaths and injuries happen, said a report considered by the authority.

The report states: "It is estimated that during the first year of operation, there will be a reduction of between 30 and 50per cent in collisions at safety camera sites, resulting in 80 less collisions, and 40 fewer 'serious or fatal casualties.' Apart from the positive impact on people's lives, the financial savings to the community would be the region of £5.6m.

Members of the authority have signed up to a target to cut the number of people killed and seriously injured to 354 by December 2004.

Latest figures show there were about 525 such casualties in 2000, and more than 450 in 2001.

Now accident blackspots have been analysed over three years, and five sites for extra fixed speed cameras have been decided, including the A140 at Earl Stonham and Brome.

There are already six fixed cameras including four at Haughley and one at Coddenham.

The partnership has also decided on 41 locations where mobile speed cameras can be set up.

Another three police officers will work in the Central Ticket Office in Ipswich to cope with the extra workload created by the cameras.

Speaking at a meeting of the authority, acting deputy chief constable Colin Langham-Fitt said a new darkroom would need to be built, as Suffolk does not yet have digital speed cameras and all images had to be processed traditionally.

In response to members of the authority who questioned why Suffolk did not have the most up-to-date equipment, he said: "A darkroom is the only way to do it. That's the technology we have got."