SPECULATION that about 13,000 motorists were snapped by a speed camera in a two-month period on the controversial stretch of the A303 at Solstice Park in Amesbury could be true, claims a Whiteparish resident.

John Bryant is calling on Wiltshire police to disclose the number of drivers caught speeding on the stretch of dual carriageway, saying the information is in the public interest.

Mr Bryant, who lives in Romsey Road, Whiteparish, has not been caught by the police speed camera at Solstice Park, but he said he knew that hundreds of motorists had been, during the road works between Beacon Hill and Countess roundabout since the autumn of last year.

Since February, Mr Bryant has been trying to persuade Wiltshire police to reveal how many times the mobile camera had been positioned on the former fly-over bridge above the A303, and how many drivers received fixed-penalty tickets during the first three months of this year.

Mr Bryant told the Journal: "I suspect that the figures are alarmingly high and that they do not wish to be embarrassed.

"Recently a south Yorkshire police officer disclosed in a television documentary that, in a two-hour period, 260 offenders were caught in a similar operation, so a speculated 13,000 over a period of two months on the A303 would be easily achieved."

Mr Bryant said he questioned the police methods of positioning their camera unit vehicle on a bridge at right angles to the A303 without proper warning signs and visible markings.

Mr Bryant said he had been told in a letter from Wiltshire Constabulary that they do not publicise the number of days the mobile camera unit is at each location and that the department of transport had issued guidance to forces not to disclose the number of motorists receiving fixed penalty tickets.

Mr Bryant was told that this was to prevent comparisons being made.

The police also told him that the Solstice Park site was "an exceptional site due to road reconstruction and the need under 'duty of care' for periodic enforcement of the temporary speed limit".

He was told: "Consequently, it plays no part of our operational case report to the department of transport on permanent and agreed sites."

Police told Mr Bryant that the camera was only operated at times where there was a lane restriction in place - for example, when construction workers were on site - and the period of time was at the discretion of the office but was usually for 40 to 60 minutes - the length of the video film.

Because of the nature of the construction work, the Highways Agency has obtained the consent of the secretary of state for a temporary speed limit order covering the stretch of road.

Due to the history of accidents on this fast stretch of the A303, the department of transport has already approved it for a fixed-site camera but this will not be installed until the reconstruction work at Solstice Park is completed.

Mr Bryant told the Journal: "Clearly, Wiltshire Constabulary does not wish to disclose the information that I requested and which I believe is in the public interest."

A Devizes-based consulting engineer contacted the Journal last week saying he would be challenging his booking for speeding at Solstice Park in March because he was "fully aware of the guidelines" issued to police on the use of temporary speed limits, and he questioned the "methods used on that stretch of the A303".