Many Bradford motorists will have noticed they are now under the scrutiny of a new type of speed camera on roads in and around the city centre.

The new distinctive units have sprung up on Westgate, near the New Beehive Inn, and Whetley Hill.

The Telegraph & Argus asked Bradford Council for technical details of the cameras and how many more are expected to be installed across the district.

But by the end of yesterday, the Council had yet to reveal any information about the new units, which appear much more streamlined than the bulky boxes most motorists are used to.

Investigations by the T&A suggest that the cameras would appear to be new state-of-the-art Truvelo D Cam cameras. The cameras are digital, fixed on higher “smart poles” and are much smaller, and less noticeable, than the previous design, which had to be housed in a larger unit due to the use of film to record offending motorists.

They are also designed to be vandal proof, with no separate cabinet housing the camera’s electronics and do not flash. The cameras never run out of film, unlike the current units which effectively stop working for the period between the film running out and it being re-loaded. It means the number of speeding fines is expected to rise in areas the new cameras are installed.

Running costs are also lower, as film is no required to be regularly collected and developed.

When contacted yesterday the Council said nobody at the highways department was available for comment regarding the new units.

A few years ago it appeared the number of speed cameras would fall after the Coalition government cut off funding. But with a rise in the number of motorists taking, and paying for, speed awareness courses, a new pot of money for cameras has become available. The courses are offered to motorists caught speeding and can cost almost £100, but are popular as they allow drivers to avoid penalty points.