SPEED cameras put up to tackle speeding on an accident-hit road between Ilkley and Burley-in-Wharfedale have now been unveiled and are being tested ready for use.

Last week the Gazette revealed that West Yorkshire Casualty Reduction Partnership had agreed to put up the cameras on the A65 at Manor Park Bends because statistics showed that more than half of all drivers on the road were speeding.

There were six people killed or seriously injured on the stretch of road in the three years that the Partnership monitored the road, and a total of nine recorded personal injuries in road accidents.

The Partnership says the cameras would 'live' shortly, although it could not confirm exactly when the cameras would be operational. The covers finally came off the cameras this week, but they are not yet operational.

Before they are brought into use, all signs and road markings must be in place, to warn motorists of their presence, and police must run a series of checks on the cameras.

However, West Yorkshire Casualty Reduction Partnership said mobile patrol speed cameras - which are being used on Coutances way and Manor Park Bends before the cameras are working - may still visit the area as part of the drive to keep down motorists' speeds.

As part of the anti-speeding drive, the Partnership is expected to make a formal announcement when the cameras are switched on.

The presence of cameras is also expected to serve as a speeding deterrent, by reminding drivers that a number of people have died or been seriously injured on the road. Government and regional criteria say that cameras can go up if there have been a number of serious injuries and fatalities.