A trial to reintroduce speed cameras to Swindon, the first authority to switch its cameras off 15 years ago, has had to be paused after the council revealed no warning letters had been sent, and no action taken against speeding drivers. The five Westcotec ANPR cameras were installed near schools and residential areas earlier this year in a bid to make roads safer.

Swindon Borough Council said that “no data has been collected” and Wiltshire Police told the BBC that no information has been shared with them.

When the project was launched by a then-Labour run council, it stated that if drivers were caught going over the speed limit, they could receive a warning letter and information being shared with the police.

After May’s recent local elections, Councillor Nick Gardiner, the Conservative cabinet member for Highways and Transport, has halted the pilot.

“I have reviewed the scheme and taken the decision to pause it until the necessary governance, data-sharing and operational arrangements are properly in place,” he said.

Labour councillor Chris Watts said the pilot was in an early development and evaluation stage.

“The five test sites are essential for gathering baseline data, alongside other monitoring methods, to understand how different deployment styles perform,” he said.

He also argued that “their (speed cameras) presence has a demonstrable positive impact on driver behaviour.” He accused the Conservatives of an “overtly and unnecessarily political” statement on the matter.

A Westcotec spokesperson said:

“All data recorded is owned in its entirety by the customer, in this case Swindon Council; Westcotec have no access to any information recorded by our equipment in this application.”

(Picture Westcotec)