Britain's most profitable speed camera

Britain's most profitable speed camera has been revealed.

The temporary camera on the southbound A1(M), between junctions four and five, has snapped an average of 789 drivers a month.

Figures obtained by The Sun newspaper through the Freedom of Information Act revealed that the camera earns around 568,000 a year.

Second place goes to a fixed camera on the A3 Anglesea Road in Portsmouth, with turnover of around 387,000 a year capturing an average of 537 motorists a month. Third place goes to a camera on the A40 Western Avenue in London, which has collared an average of 499 drivers a month and generated annual revenue of 359,000.

A notorious camera on the M11 in Essex where energy secretary Chris Huhne is alleged to have asked his ex-wife to take his penalty points after being photographed has caught an average of 176 speeders each month.

The least-successful speed camera is on the A348 in Ferndown, which failed to catch a single speeding vehicle in three years.

A 12-mile stretch of seafront in Brighton has been revealed as the UK's most costly route for drivers, with the 11 cameras that line the route pulling in more than 1million in fines.

A spokesman for road safety charity Brake told The Sun that such cameras are: 'An extremely effective way of enforcing the law, reducing speeds and preventing tragedies.'

However, a spokesman for Drivers Alliance told the newspaper: 'Cameras don't improve safety. They're often placed to generate maximum revenue.'