Funding for old-style speed cameras in the West Midlands should be axed, council chiefs have ruled. Police had wanted about £750,000 for the “wet film” cameras.

However, this funding is to be scrapped by the region’s councils.

Instead, a recommended £500,000 will be re-invested in newer systems such as mobile patrols and radar signs that flash up warnings.

The move marks the beginning of the end for old-style cameras across the region. Councils have ruled out paying an estimated £1.2million bill for replacing them all with newer models.

Police want to cut the cost of running the region’s 304 cameras — 86 of which are already “dummies”.

Only three cameras in Wolverhampton and 34 regionally are frequently used at present, with operating times limited to 15 days a month.

The West Midlands Joint Committee, a body of senior councillors from across the region, agreed to withdraw funding at a meeting yesterday. Walsall Council leader Mike Bird, stand-in chairman for the committee, said: “The cameras we have are rapidly becoming obsolete.

“The estimate of £1.2m to replace them is money we do not have. There are better ways to reduce accidents on roads, more modern methods.”