A NEW organisation responsible for speed cameras in the area including Wyre Forest will work more closely with other agencies on improving road safety.

The Safer Roads Partnership in West Mercia has taken over its predecessor Safety Camera Partnership's operations, with the aim of reducing casualties and increasing road safety activities.

Among methods of doing that will be building stronger links with council road safety teams to tackle specific problems by working together on a range of projects and campaigns.

Although previous national rules and guidelines have been withdrawn, the new partnership has insisted safety camera enforcement will continue to be visible and conspicuous, at locations selected mainly on the basis of casualty figures in collisions considered avoidable.

Partnership manager, Trevor McAvoy, said: "These are exciting times for us and we are looking forward to being a part of a wider road safty partnership.

"In the past, central Government has restricted our operations to enforcement but now that our work is being reintegrated into mainstream casualty reduction and road safety activity, we have a great opportunity to take a broader view of and approach to the problems, forming deeper and stronger working relationships with our partners."

He added: "The partnership will continue to be data-led and operationally targeted, with the local highway authorities now having a new higher profile in guiding and funding our work.

"As before, we will be operating to agreed guidelines because we believe that is the right and proper way to carry out the work which has proved so successful in the past."