OXFORDSHIRE’S Speed cameras caught more than a quarter of a million drivers speeding over the past five years – netting the Government about £1m a year.

Statistics obtained from the Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership by the Oxford Mail show 255,526 motorists were caught breaking the speed limit by the county’s 72 fixed cameras and 14 mobile cameras since 2006.

In 2009 alone, the network of cameras captured 50,033 breaking the limit in Oxfordshire.

In comparison, Thames Valley Police handed out just 3,396 fixed penalty notices in the same year for speeding in the county.

The news came as the Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership – which had been supported by the police and county council – yesterday removed film from Oxfordshire’s cameras, including a Gatso in Banbury Road in North Oxford, after the county became the first in Britain to switch off all its speed traps.

Officially, the switch-off took place on Sunday following the county council’s decision to withdraw £600,000 of funding to the partnership.

However, the cameras were still loaded with film until yesterday, although the partnership has pledged it will not process fines for any drivers caught speeding in the county since Sunday’s switch-off.

Richard Clapham, a driving instructor in the city for the past 26 years, welcomed the removal of cameras.

Mr Clapham, a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists for 47 years and owner of Access Driving Services in Botley, Oxford, said: “Speed isn’t the main cause of accidents and speed cameras should be the exception rather than the rule.

“The majority of speed cameras were unnecessary, but there are one or two accident blackspots, such as Cumnor Hill, where they should be retained.”

Before 2007, the county council received cash from speed camera fines. However, for the past three years, central Government has funded local authority road safety programmes through grants, with the income from speed camera fines going to the Treasury.

TaxPayers’ Alliance policy analyst Jennifer Dun said: “Speed cameras impose a burden on motorists but are not very good at keeping the roads safe.

“Broadening policy beyond the obsession with enforcing speed limits is a good thing for road safety and will also be good for motorists in Oxfordshire.”

Rodney Rose, the county council’s cabinet member for transport, said: “I think our roads will continue to be as safe with the cameras turned off.”

Department for Transport spokesman Anna McCreadie said: “We ended central Government funding for new fixed speed cameras because we don’t believe we should dictate to councils that they use them as the default solution in reducing accidents.”