Speed cameras on a one-mile stretch of busy road in Cottingley will finally be switched on more than a year after they were earmarked to go live.

The six Gatso cameras put up along Cottingley Cliffe Road, between Cottingley Moor Road and Thorn Lane, are scheduled to be switched on next Saturday.

They have been installed on either side of the road which saw 36 injuries, six of them serious, in a three-year period up to July 2002.

Six cameras on the A641 Huddersfield Road in Wyke are also timetabled to be switched on on the same day.

Residents campaigned for traffic-calming measures in Cottingley in 2002 because of fears of an accident outside Cottingley Village Primary, which is on the corner of Cottingley Cliffe Road and Cottingley Moor Road.

But residents and motorists were left baffled when the cameras made a brief appearance on the stretch of the B6269 last April but were pulled down 48 hours later because of a hitch connected to the electric power supply.

Philip Gwynne, spokesman for the West Yorkshire Casualty Reduction Partnership, which installs and operates the safety cameras, said problems with the supply to the cameras had finally been resolved.

He said: "There are a couple of phone calls and checks still to be made early next week but we have a proposed date for switch on of May 1."

Motorists caught by the cameras, which are housed in yellow boxes on top of grey pillars, doing more than 40mph risk a fixed penalty of £60 and three points on their licence.

Steve Thornton, a principal traffic engineer with Bradford Council and chairman of the West Yorkshire Casualty Reduction Partnership, said Cottingley Cliffe Road had a history of accidents involving vehicles driving too fast and hitting lampposts and walls.

He said: "All these cameras will certainly reduce speeds and injuries on these roads.

"They will certainly make a great difference to the safety levels at the sites."

Christina Briggs, head teacher at the school, said: "We thought they were going to be up and running last year but that was unfortunately not the case.

"But finally having the cameras up will be a good thing and anything which benefits the school and makes it safer for children and parents is positive."

Mrs Briggs said the school was desperately hunting for a school crossing patrol person to help pupils across Cottingley Cliffe Road and make the road even safer.

"We've advertised for the post and we're really wanting to fill it.

"Parents are allowed to park in The Sun pub's car park and cross the road from there but we need a crossing patrol person to do that job."

Mrs Briggs said the crossing patrol person would work for 45 minutes before and after school.

Anyone interested in the post should telephone the school on (01274) 567545.