Speed cameras in Oxfordshire will begin operating again from April 1.

Thames Valley Police have taken the decision to turn on cameras and resume operating mobile speed camera sites after they were turned off on August 1 last year.

Head of roads policing for Thames Valley, Supt Rob Povey explains the reasons behind the decision in a YouTube video.

Supt Povey said: “We think this is important because we know that speed kills and speed is dangerous.

“We have shown in Oxfordshire that speed has increased through monitoring limits and we have noticed an increase in fatalities and the number of people seriously injured in 2010.

“We know that speed enforcement does work as a deterrent to motorists.”

There are 72 fixed sites and 89 mobile sites in Oxfordshire. They were switched off as a result of a withdrawal of funding by Oxfordshire County Council after Government cuts to the authority’s road safety grant.

The decision to switch the cameras back on has been supported by Thames Valley Police Authority committee chair for Oxfordshire Ian Abbott and Oxfordshire County councillor cabinet Member for Transport, Rodney Rose.

Mr Rose said: "We very much welcome this positive approach to financing the operation of speed cameras and will continue to work with our partners at Thames Valley Police in improving road safety in Oxfordshire.

"The county council did not delight in withdrawing funding for speed cameras last year, but took this decision to protect other service areas following a huge reduction in road safety grant from the Government. Other councils across the country took the same view.

"This local solution will ensure funding is properly aligned to support the service delivery and not subject to an external grant funding process. The new process will have a higher level of active engagement with drivers who speed and will be more successful in changing driver behaviour rather than simply trying to penalise offenders in the wallet."

Mr Abbott said: “I welcome today's announcement that safety cameras will be reactivated on roads in Oxfordshire.

"Road safety is of fundamental importance to people in our area, as many letters to local papers have highlighted.I believe safety cameras are a worthwhile intervention to reduce the number of road traffic injuries and deaths.

"The reactivation of the cameras will give consistency to road safety measures across the Thames Valley."