SPEEDING motorists are to have their penalties revoked after a safety camera slip up.

Cheshire Constabulary has had to refund fines and penalty points to drivers who sped along Lumber Lane in Burtonwood between April 2 and August 11 - and it's all because one 30mph sign was not in place.

Alan Stephenson, strategic director of environment and regeneration at Warrington Borough Council, explained: "In a 30mph area 30mph repeater signs are not required where streetlights are a certain distance apart, which is the case along the majority of Lumber Lane.

"However, at the location of the safety camera the streetlights are slightly wider apart and a further repeater sign was required."

The borough council has now placed the correct signs at the site, the safety camera is back in action and offences are being penalised again.

Lee Murphy, project manager at Cheshire Safety Camera Partnership, said: "Addressing the issue of road safety and saving lives is a priority for all the agencies involved in the partnership.

"We are all committed to reducing the number of road casualties in Cheshire. Although any activations of the camera during the specified period will not be enforced, they still mean that a significant number of people were travelling in excess of the speed limit.

"The partnership wishes to stress that exceeding the speed limit is completely unacceptable, and that now the situation has been resolved, Cheshire Police are again enforcing the speed limit of 30mph in Lumber Lane."