Areas of Southend, Basildon, Rochford and Castle Point could soon become hotspots for catching speeding motorists with new high-tech speed cameras.

Essex Police are among eight forces nationally to be selected for a pilot scheme, launched across Britain today.

Although police have not named the specific areas to be targeted, speeding motorists will not be safe anywhere as many of the new cameras can be moved from one hotspot to another.

However, a spokesman for Essex Police has denied that it is a move to make life hard for motorists.

He said: "It is not about catching people - it is simply about getting people to reduce their speed, a road safety measure.

"There is going to be an additional increase throughout Essex of the number of speed cameras in use.

"They will be based at sites that are traffic accident blackspots, usually of speed-related crashes."

The cameras, which measure the average speed of motorists between two points, are set to revolutionise speed control, police say.

The blitz on speeding motorists is expected to show dividends in numbers caught, and a reduction in accident figures.

Funds generated from fines will go towards financing even more cameras.

The pilot scheme comes in the wake of an increase in speeding. One force reported it had caught more than four times the number of offenders in four months from April this year than in the previous 12 months.

A spokesman for the Essex police traffic management unit said: "The cameras will be used sensibly and fairly in areas where there are 30 mph and 40 mph limits.

"Some of them will be fixed and some of them will be portable cameras."

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