CALLS have been made to investigate speeding offence figures after thousands of drivers were caught during construction of the Queensferry Crossing.

Average speed cameras put in place during the Forth Replacement Crossing project caught 6,577 motorists from July 2015 to late August 2017, when the bridge opened.

A total of 3,342 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) were issued in the period, and 817 reports were submitted to the procurator fiscal.

The latest statistics have prompted calls from motoring group IAM RoadSmart to have the figures investigated.

Neil Greig, director of policy and research, said: “Average speed cameras usually catch very few drivers as the vast majority of drivers understand how they work and comply with the limits.

“Something was clearly not right during the Forth bridge works and in circumstances like this, the Safety Camera Partnership should be investigating such high numbers right away.

“Simply dishing out fines is not a success, in our view, as the best cameras should be there to get a safety message across rather than to rack up income.”

Average speed cameras were introduced along the A90 and M90 in July 2015 and were removed upon the completion of the project.

The use of the speed cameras has been defended with Andy Jones, East Safety Camera Unit manager, stating: “The average speed cameras were put in place to protect all road users and workers during the works.”

In the final months of the project – from July 2017 to late August 2017 – 1,622 drivers were caught and 1,095 FPNs were issued, with 253 reports to the procurator fiscal.