15652A NEW mobile speed camera mounted on a motorbike has caught nearly 1,000 motorists in just 38 hours on Wiltshire's roads.

The camera, which is catching up to 50 speeding drivers a day, has attracted criticism from motoring groups as being a money-making exercise.

The 919 drivers caught between June 14 and July 27 could generate nearly £55,000 in fines, and the £30,000 needed to buy the bike and camera was itself raised through speeding penalties.

Kevin Delaney, head of traffic and road safety with the RAC foundation, said: "The question is if it is used at location with a bad record of accidents or just where the operator can catch a large number of speeders.It will either produce significant casualty reductions, in which case it will be seen by motorists, although perhaps grudgingly, as a good thing, or it won't, in which case it will confirm their worst suspicions that cameras are all about raising money."

AA spokesman Alison Birkett said: "People generally support speed cameras except when the question comes up about the revenue being raised. As long as the cameras are in areas where there are accidents happening people support them but when there appears to be no explanation for them support tends to diminish."

David Frampton of the Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Partnership denied cash was in any way a motivation for the use of the camera.

He said the money raised through fines would go directly to the treasury, but the partnership can claim some back against its running costs. He said: "There is no interest in this partnership in raising money. We get measured on reductions in collisions involving speed.The whole idea of the camera is as a deterrent. It is disappointing this number of people have been detected in such a short period of time.

"The message is that if people continue to speed they will be punished. If you don't do the crime you won't get the fine."

The partnership bought the motorbike to be used in areas not easily accessible by vans such as country lanes and villages. When in use the camera is stationary and mounted on a post at the back of the motorbike. It is clearly marked and manned by a rider in full police uniform.

In the 19-day period between June 14 and July 27 it was used for just one or two hours a day but as a result 903 drivers have been sent notices of intended prosecution and 16 others face prosecution in court for driving at excessive speeds.

Mr Frampton said: "If drivers don't see it then maybe they should be paying more attention to what they are doing.

"The best result will be when nobody is caught. We want to see these figures reduced and people driving at safe, legal speeds."

The camera has already been put to use in Chippenham, Corsham, Southwick, Seend and Warminster.