ROAD safety chiefs insist Kent will be unaffected by a Government move to block any new speed cameras in the county.

Ministers have told the Kent and Medway Safety Camera Partnership - along with 37 others across the country - that it cannot install any new permanent cameras until a study examining their effectiveness has been completed.

Transport minister and Kent MP Dr Steve Ladyman is overseeing the national review, which some have intepreted as being the first signal that the Government is beginning to have doubts about the devices.

However, the Kent and Medway Partnership insists the ban will not affect its work, as it currently has no plans for any more speed cameras and temporary ban does not affect mobile camera sites.

Two new mobile sites are planned: one in Mill Way in Sittingbourne and another in New Ash Green in north Kent.

Chris Rogers, who heads the Kent and Medway Partnership, said he could understand why the public would be confused but said it was a case of "business as usual".

However, he conceded that the block meant the partnership was unable to draw up firm proposals for new sites across the county.

He said: "The message this creates is to say there might be some sort of problem here. But the Department for Transport has known from its own research for years that these cameras work in cutting accidents.

"In Kent, we have proposals for two mobile cameras and the transport department has actually told us we can go ahead with these."

The partnership was keen to have more sites but until the Government had completed its research, it was in limbo.

"If the Government does not make any decision for a couple of months, it will be pointless putting together firm proposals in our business case."

The partnership says the presence of 67 cameras are continuing to compel motorists to drive more safely. Its latest report says crash rates at camera sites in place for 15 months or more were continuing to fall.