Speed cameras 'face film shortage'

24/06/11

By Sarah Tawton

Britain's speed cameras are being hampered by a shortage of film, industry experts have warned.

While the majority of Britain's 6,000 speed cameras are digital, around a tenth of them still use wet-film.

Car magazine Autocar claims that the U-turn over the decision to switch off the country's wet-film Gatso speed cameras has led to a shortage in film supplies.

When the Government cut road safety spending by £38 million last year, many local authorities vowed to axe speed cameras.

Autocar reports that supplier Fujifilm then cancelled an order for rolls of 35mm stock from Japan because it anticipated lower demand.

The magazine quotes two sources as saying that the Gatso film will be in short supply until September, with camera operations being disrupted as a result.

But a Fujifilm spokesman insisted that the supply chain would be back to normal by the end of June.

He said: "It's just a supply and demand thing. We toned down our orders, but the police have been ordering as usual, so we are air-freighting supplies to clear the backlog."