TWO traffic light cameras in Bournemouth have clocked a staggering 1,876 people jumping red lights in just five months.

Enforcement action at Castle Lane East resulted in the shocking number of notices of intended prosecutions being issued between August 1 and December 31 last year.

This is almost as many as were been caught at the same location in the whole of the previous five years – the cameras were operated sporadically between 2007 and early 2012 and caught a total of 2,157 people. Now Cllr Michael Filer, Bourne-mouth Council’s cabinet member for transport, has warned drivers they are risking lives.

“Even if one person drove through a red light I would be horrified,” he said. “This causes danger not only to the driver but to all other road users whether pedestrians, motorists or cyclists.

“I urge all motorists to be sure they do not break the law because the only people getting tickets are those who break it.”

The notices are likely to have generated more than £100,000 for Dorset Road Safe whose spokes-man said the figures represent a small percentage of the drivers who navigate the junctions at Deansleigh Road and Chaseside every day..

“A very conservative estimate would put the number at 15,000 per 24 hours, per junction. “This would equate to 4,500,000 vehicle movements passing through the junctions between 1 August 2012 and 31 December 2012” he said.

And he said the numbers receiving notices equate to 0.05 per cent of those using the junction.

The cameras were installed before 2002 but are not always enforced. A Dorset Police spokesperson said: “Enforcement is an intelligence-led operation. “As part of our review of these two sites it was found that certain members of the public were ignoring the red light and therefore were a danger not only to themselves but also to other road users.

“Therefore, the cameras were reintroduced post 2010 and, as can be seen by the figures, there was a justification to do so based on the number of transgressions.”

  • Accident statistics for the two sites reveal that there have been no fatal collisions, two serious collisions and a total of 51 slight collisions there between 1998 and 2011.

The casualty statistics for the same period show that there have been no fatalities, four serious injuries and 67 slight injuries.

Motorist snapped twice in one day

Motorist Ian Julian, of Bournemouth, was caught twice in one day and three times in total by the cameras and is currently banned from driving.

The 62-year-old said he was an extremely careful driver who had never had an accident in 45 years and believes the cameras are more about hitting targets and raising money.

He submitted a Freedom of Information request that revealed that 1,876 had been caught in five months and said: “I was staggered when I saw how many people are suddenly being caught by these cameras.

“I’ve no trouble if people really are jumping red lights but if it’s just to trap people and hit targets then I think that’s wrong.

“After I was caught I revisited the site and watched the cars and it was apparent that a huge number are being clocked, which is good for revenue and for targets.”