THE new average speed camera system along the notorious Forty Foot Drain has been damaged in a road accident - but the speed-busting equipment is still working, motorist were assured this week.

The five-mile road - which had claimed eight lives over a 10-year period - has its 50mph limit monitored through a state-of-the-art �350,000 camera set-up.

In a recent accident, the system’s control box was extensively damaged in the crash that involved a local vehicle, and Cambridgeshire County Council will be seeking to recover the cost of repairs.

Before the high-tech cameras were installed in July last year, the waterside road between Chatteris and Ramsey Forty Foot was a recognised accident black spot and campaigners fought for years to get the new cameras installed.

There have been no fatalities since the cameras began working; and statistics show that the speed of vehicles has substantially reduced over the past eight months.

A survey undertaken in 2006 revealed an average speed of 52mph, and showed that 15 per cent of vehicles travelled at 61mph.

Latest figures show vehicles now travelling at an average of 48mph, with 15 per cent of motorists reaching speeds of just over 52mph.