 THOUSANDS of speeders are dodging prosecution in North Wales because only three roadside cameras work. Arrive Alive has 12 yellow speed camera boxes on the region's roads - but three quarters are left empty because the cameras themselves are too expensive. And with a maximum of four out of nine Arrive Alive vans on duty, there are only seven sites where speeders can be caught at any one time. The revelations will come as a shock to critics who have accused the controversial partnership of being obsessed with catching speeding drivers. Last night, project leader Inspector Alan Hughes hit back at protesters who have threatened large-scale demonstrations against the anti-speeding campaign, as reported in Monday's Daily Post. "It is not blanket coverage in any way, shape or form," said Insp Hughes. "At the most there are seven places where Arrive Alive can catch speeders at any one time. "When you consider other areas of the UK you will find there are an awful lot more cameras than we have." Even with so few cameras in operation, an average of 3,500 tickets have been issued to speeding motorists each month since Arrive Alive began in October 2001. North Wales traffic police also have powers to issue tickets, but are independent of Arrive Alive. Thousands more drivers could be caught if Arrive Alive could buy more cameras, which cost £30,000 each. | 
