Every speed camera across Oxfordshire will have to be fully justified under new guidelines published by the Government.

The Department For Transport (DfT) has for the first time published national guidelines which the Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership (SRP) must follow when siting cameras. There are presently 74 camera sites across Oxfordshire.

From April 2005 the need for each speed camera must be reviewed, taking into account any changes at the location.

Traffic calming measures or alterations to the road layout which have resulted in lower speeds, could lead to the removal of some cameras. Cameras will remain where a partnership can show that speeds and the number of casualties has not been cut.

Dan Campsall, a spokesman for Thames Valley SRP, said the partnership had reviewed the need for each of its cameras since 2000 and submitted the information annually to the Government.

He said the requirement for this information had now been formalised, whereas before it was submitted to the Government as "best practice".

He said: "There's a requirement on us to regularly review our sites. We have always had to tell the DfT of all the sites we wanted to use as part of the programme, and exactly why we wanted them included.

"The vast majority of the rules are exactly as we operate to at the moment."

To install a camera, partnerships must show there have been four accidents in which people were killed or seriously injured in the previous three years. However, there is no requirement for these accidents to be speed-related.

This was attacked by Mark McArthur-Christie, a spokesman for the Association of British Drivers.

He said camera partnerships should also publish the cause of each accident used to justify the installation of a camera, and the amount of fines issued per machine.

Mr Campsall said cameras were sited where there was both evidence of speeding and a bad accident record.