Beware these sneaky new speed cameras catching out drivers! We reveal Britain's worst speed traps - is one near you?

A new breed of speed camera that can spy on how fast you drive through traffic lights has become the most lucrative in Britain, Money Mail can reveal.

Our study covering more than 7,000 cameras identifies the 600 worst speed-camera hotspots in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, which between them rake in millions of pounds.

The country’s most prolific camera is at the A38 Kings Mill Road West junction with Sutton Road in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire.

During the 12 months ending April 5, this cash cow snared 24,311 victims, which works out at almost 70 motorists a day.

Drivers caught by it and issued with a notice of intended prosecution (NIP) can expect a typical minimum £100 speeding penalty in the post, along with three points on their driving licence. That means this camera alone may have brought in £2.4million.

The next most prolific camera hotspot, capturing 22,774 speeding offenders, was on the A6 St Margaret’s Way junction with Ravensbridge Drive in Leicester.

This camera was initially installed to capture motorists who jumped red lights, but was then adapted to clock their speeds as well.

You can check Britain's most prolific speed traps and whether there is one near you with our map below.

The lucrative pair of speed traps above are among thousands of so-called ‘speed on green’ dual-function cameras being rolled out to catch people attempting to beat the lights as they change from green to red.

Many motorists might not even realise that they briefly broke the speed limit until a fine arrives.

Although the speed cameras are signposted, experts believe that such traps are particularly lucrative because motorists regularly put their foot on the pedal – often without thinking – to make sure they get through before the lights turn amber or red.

In 30mph or 20mph areas, even a small blip of the throttle could be sufficient to go fast enough to be caught by a camera.

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Nicholas Lyes, director of policy and standards at IAM RoadSmart, previously the Institute of Advanced Motorists, says many motorists may be surprised to learn that such dual-function cameras exist.

He adds: ‘What many people do not realise is that unless there is a risk to other motorists, you should stop when the traffic lights turn amber and not just red, rather than speed up to beat the lights.

‘They might not be particularly popular, but if these cameras at traffic lights get people to drive more safely – by checking speeds as well as if they jump lights, they could be a good idea.’

There are no figures on how many dual-function cameras have been installed, but the number is rising – meaning that, increasingly, motorists will be caught out.

Simon Williams, of the RAC, says drivers have not cottoned on to the technology yet, adding: ‘Speed cameras at traffic-light signals are not something many of us are aware of.’

Speeding and jumping the lights each typically lead to a £100 penalty and three points on your driving licence.

Get caught doing both, however, and you could end up with a £200 fine and six points.

Legal Expert, a personal injury, compensation and accident-claim legal firm, asked all 43 police forces in England and Wales, plus Police Scotland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, for speed-trap data on behalf of Money Mail.

Using Freedom of Information requests, the company asked how many speeding fines were issued by each force, and the top 20 roads for catching motorists breaking the speed limits.

It estimated that more than ten million speeding tickets were issued during the 12 months to April 5 – raking in as much as £1billion for the Government.

Money from speed-camera fines goes into a consolidated fund – a government pot used to support general expenditure on public services.

Some may go back into the roads through grants distributed by the Department for Transport. Local authorities also keep some of the money from speeding fines.

The worst place for speed traps is London – where there were an eye-watering 772,123 offences.

Outside the capital the place with the highest number of speeding tickets is the city of Salford, where 46,956 offences were recorded – more than its bigger neighbour, Manchester, where 27,172 offences were logged.

For those looking for a motorway to avoid, the M5 stood out, capturing a total of 41,537 motorists.

There is a growing range of fixed speed cameras in the Government’s armoury for snaring motorists.

The story starts with the popular Gatso, introduced 34 years ago.

These rear-facing cameras send a radar signal to monitor movement and take two photographs – a double flash – to capture speed and the vehicle registration plate number, using white calibration lines on the road to measure speed.

Although still widely used, Gatsos are slowly being replaced with other yellow boxed equipment, such as the Truvelo – the dual-function camera installed on the A6 in Leicester.

This camera faces forward, which makes it harder for motorists to claim that they were not the one behind the wheel. It is also sneakier in that it does not flash but uses infrared technology to capture speeding drivers.

It can offer a dual-function service, such as catching you jumping lights, as well as monitoring speed.

Motorists can detect Truvelos by the telltale three white lines painted across the road that cover road sensors beneath the surface that are used to log your speed.

The latest high-tech cameras also include the Vector SR, which is used to snare motorists on the busy A38 junction in Nottinghamshire. It has an ‘intelligent virtual grid’ to calculate your speeds.

These traps use infrared lights to secretly snap vehicles without a flash, working day and night, in fog and heavy rain.

Not content with just monitoring speed, they also have high-resolution cameras sharp enough to check that you are wearing a seatbelt or whether you are using your phone behind the wheel.

Motorways and dual carriageways typically have a limit of 70mph, while a single carriageway outside of towns is usually set at 60mph.

Urban roads with street lights are 30mph, while in cities such as London, Bristol, Edinburgh and some parts of Wales, there is now often a 20mph limit.

Speed limits vary and you should always check signs for specific roads to make sure you are not speeding.

Although you should stick within a speed limit, cameras are often set with a leeway of 10 per cent plus 2mph, so you might get away with 35mph in a 30 zone, for example.

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Penalties for speeding are put into categories.

A ‘minor speeding offence’ will land you with a £100 fixed penalty notice (FPN) and three points. Often, you can choose to go on a speed awareness course and avoid the fine and points.

Driving at more than 20mph above the speed limit is deemed a ‘serious speeding offence’ with a minimum £100 fine and three to six points.

Go even faster and it is ‘excessive speeding’. Here, you could be fined up to 175 per cent of your weekly income and slapped with six points. Get caught over 100mph – or twice the limit – and you can get a driving ban of between seven and 56 days.

Get 12 points on your licence within a three-year period and you are likely to be banned from driving for a minimum of six months.

Williams says: ‘Most see a speed limit as a target rather than something not to break – with eight out of ten motorists admitting to speeding.

'Not being aware of a camera, no matter what type has been installed, is no excuse for breaking the speed limits – and neither is ignorance of the speed limit on a road.’

Not all authorities responded fully to Legal Expert’s request for information, meaning there could be even worse traps out there.

Greater London and Lancaster did not offer a road breakdown, with the latter claiming that ‘confirming the locations of the 20 roads with the most speeding offences… would make these sites targets for criminals intent on damaging the equipment’.

North Yorkshire also ‘decided to exempt providing you with a response’, while North Wales, Greater Manchester and Derbyshire also failed to provide a list of the 20 worst speed-trap hotspots across their regions.

Dyfed-Powys, Kent, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire and Wiltshire did not even bother to respond to requests.

You should receive an NIP within 14 days of your vehicle being caught on camera – along with a form you must return within 28 days telling police who was behind the wheel.

If it was not you driving you can challenge the fine. The notice contains details such as the date, location and speed. If any of this information is wrong, you can fight the fine on a technicality.

If the speed limit signs were incorrect, broken, hidden or missing you might also win an appeal – but you must take photos as proof, as if you challenge a case police may issue a court summons and you must offer evidence.