Digital speed cameras are being pioneered on Hertfordshire roads for the first time and Potters Bar is leading the way.

The new technology will replace the old-style cameras on 25 sites approved by the Home Office last year.

Hertfordshire County Council was the first authority in the country to order the fixed digital cameras and Potters Bar will be one of the first places to see the equipment installed.

Theresa Casbard, head of Hertfordshire County Council's road safety unit, said: "As with the existing cameras, they should continue to make a big contribution to casualty reduction and will gradually be rolled out county-wide.

"The number of people killed or seriously injured at camera sites has been reduced by nearly 65 per cent since the Safety Camera Partnership was started in 2002."

Drivers will no longer be able to get away with speeding in the dark, as the upgrade to digital includes a separate night flash pole.

The move comes at a cost of around £6,500 for each site and is funded by the county council.

The remaining 75 cameras across Hertfordshire are expected to be upgraded in the next few years. The old cameras, which store images on wet film', are being phased out across the country.

The new technology allows data to be sent straight to the safety unit, where it is processed, rather than being stored on the camera.

Cameras have already gone up on some roads, but the council would not reveal their precise locations.