By Ben Whitford

Drivers claim speed cameras are being used as a 'stealth tax'

The Starve the Cameras campaign asks people to drive "religiously" within the speed limit - to reduce government revenue from speeding fines.

Organiser Neil Fedorowycz says the campaign website has received tens of thousands of visitors.

He aims to recruit 10 per cent of all drivers to what he says is "a unique social experiment".

Stealth tax

"It's protest by compliance," he told BBC News Online. "There shouldn't be a political party out there that doesn't support this."

The campaign website encourages drivers to "get into the habit of driving within the speed limit" in "a concerted effort to starve the speed cameras of income from fines".

CAUGHT ON CAMERA In 2003 over 1m drivers were caught speeding Fines raised around �72m for the Treasury last year 4,500 speed cameras are currently in use around the UK

The group predicts 3m speeding fines will be issued in 2004 and says they constitute "a stealth tax".

"This is scandalous. It's time for drivers to fight back," the campaign says.

Mr Fedorowycz said the response had been overwhelmingly positive: "In the first day I had 500 people register on the site."

Since starting in mid-January the campaign site had received "tens of thousands" of visitors, he said.

The campaign plans to compare road safety and speeding ticket statistics for February with figures for the preceding 12 months, although Mr Fedorowycz admitted: "If accidents plummet as a result we'll have to accept the road safety people were right."

"It's difficult driving like a vicar," he said. "But if people can do it we can make a difference."

Saving lives

The campaign has so far met with a lukewarm response from the Department for Transport.

A spokeswoman said: "Cameras aren't about raising money, they're about saving lives."

"As we've always said, we look forward to a day when not a single speeding ticket is issued," she said.

"We don't want your money, we just want you to slow down."