SIR — Having to commute to Southampton from Winchester by road most mornings, for the first time in seven years I noticed something unusual this morning.

There had been an accident at the junction of Ranelagh Road and St Cross and coincidentally (or was it?) just beyond the accident appeared what looked like a policeman and a mobile ‘safety camera’.

Neither of which I have ever witnessed in that area before.

Coincidence or not, is it not reasonable to assume that the so-called ‘safety camera’ may well have been just one more thing for us commuters to worry about this morning?

Perhaps those involved in the accident had been more pre-occupied with watching their speed and the camera rather than driving safely and watching what was going on around them?

Am I alone in wondering whether these ‘surprise’ cameras are actually serving their purpose?

Or are they just creeping up on people in the hope of adding revenue to somebody's budget?

Ian Palacio, Brassey Road, Fulflood, Winchester.