Gatsos go digital

All Gatsos are going digital with hi-tech equipment so they never run out of film, Auto Express can reveal.

Dutch-based Gatsometer - the firm behind the devices - has developed a new digital image-capturing system. This can slot straight into the existing housing of the UK's 4,000 Gatso cam­eras - saving a fortune on replacing the complete units. Called the GS11, it will be signed off for use on our roads by the Home Office "any day now", a Gatsometer spokeswoman told us.

This means the digital Gatso could be in action trapping speeders within a month. And it's likely to be a huge hit with authorities; each GS11 should be able to quickly recoup its estimated £10,000 cost, as the upgrade will ena-ble it to "generate many more fines". The wet film devices currently used in Gatsos - which make up 80 per cent of the cameras on British roads - can capture only 200 law-breaking incidents. That means on some busy routes, they can run out of film in a single day, according to UK importer Serco - so many speeding drivers who are flashed never actually receive a ticket.

But this situation will end with the GS11, as it stores thousands of images. Its lens can also monitor four lanes of traffic at once; current Gatso cameras patrol only two. And with 11-megapixel resolution, the set-up can take higher-quality images for better evidence.

The new camera also incorporates Auto­matic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology for instantaneous identification of the speeding car. And as all the information can be downloaded over the Internet or wirelessly on to a laptop computer, the upgraded Gatsos are much cheaper to maintain - which could encourage authorities to install even more on our roads.