MORE than 3000 drivers have been caught driving too fast by average speed cameras on the M90 in West Fife.

It means that more than 20 vehicles a day are breaking the temporary 40mph limit which is in place as part of construction work on the Forth Replacement Crossing (FRC).

In February the Press revealed that 852 drivers were caught speeding in the first seven weeks of the cameras operating between Rosyth and Halbeath.

That total now stands at a staggering 3300 since the yellow cameras were switched on at the end of October.

Each person caught receives a �60 fine as well as three points on their licence.

It means �200,000 in fines could be generated for the coffers of HM Treasury.

The latest figures were released at the Scottish Parliament following a parliamentary question by SNP MSP Graeme Dey.

Andy Jones, a manager for Fife Safety Camera Partnership, told the Press that the average speed cameras were proving a success as the vast majority of drivers were staying within the speed limit.

He explained, "There is an average of 20 vehicles detected a day and we have around 50,000 vehicle movements. So the success is more than 99 per cent." He dismissed any question of the cameras being a money-spinner and added, "This is a matter of road safety. The cameras are there to protect road workers and all road users." A Transport Scotland spokeswoman said, "The average speed camera system on the M90 was installed to enforce the temporary speed limit of 40mph and is part of wider traffic management measures to ensure a steady flow of traffic and, crucially, to maintain the safety of the travelling public and contractors working on the site.

"Indeed, many of the offences recorded in recent months occurred during the day when construction workers would have been at the side of the road." She added, "These traffic management measures are essential for the delivery of the wider FRC scheme, a project that is delivering real benefits for Scottish businesses and Scottish workers.

"It will support 1200 Scottish jobs and secure an additional 3000 more.

"Every year construction will deliver 45 vocational training positions, 21 professional body training places and 46 positions for the long-term unemployed, as well as providing further scope to maximise Modern Apprenticeship opportunities." The cameras are expected to continue operating until June 2012.