TENS of thousands of motorists have been caught out by speed cameras on North Yorkshire’s roads.

A report into the effectiveness of the county’s safety camera vans revealed that they processed 80,582 road violations during 2017.

At the start of 2017 there were six vans out on the roads and this increased gradually to twelve by December 2017, plus one motorcycle.

It cost £2.21m to run the vans for the year and £1.94m in costs was recovered.

The report revealed that 464 people lost their lives or were seriously injured on North Yorkshire’s roads in 2017, down from 504 in 2015.

The report was prepared by North Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan who has made making the county’s roads safer a priority.

She said: “Improving road safety in North Yorkshire is one of my top priorities, not least because time and again, residents tell me it is of real concern to them and their families.

“The number of people killed in speed-related incidents in North Yorkshire in 2017 was the lowest since 2010.

“Not all of that is down to safety camera vans, but we do know they are life-savers, literally.

“Independent research from Newcastle University shows an estimated 20 per cent reduction in casualties are specifically down to the presence of mobile safety camera vans.

“Despite that, I know some people remain suspicious of them, and the police’s motive in using them due to the money they generate.

“To address these myths head on, my report explains how safety cameras were used in 2017, the numbers of violations reported, and the finances associated with the vans.

“The information and data included in the report shows that more was spent on running the vans than was recouped, but given their crucial role, I believe this is a good investment in achieving safer roads and fewer deaths and serious injuries.”

The area with the highest violations caught on the road safety cameras was Hambleton with 17,706.

The district with the fewest violations was Scarborough, with 3,689, and the single site with the most violations recorded was the A64 westbound at Whitwell Hill.

The site visited most frequently by the camera vans was the A19 Shipton in Beningbrough, with 178 visits during the year.

The vans monitored a total of 448 different sites over more than 13,885 hours during 2017.