POLICE fear they cannot punish drivers for speeding on some of North Yorkshire's busiest roads because of illegal signs.

The Evening Press has learned that traffic cops cannot set up speed traps on some roads.

They are concerned that motorists could challenge fines in court because signs do not meet strict modern requirements.

A team of officers and road experts has been set up to investigate the scale of the problem and a lawyer brought in for advice.

Taxpayers could end up shelling out thousands of pounds to pay for upgraded signs.

But road chiefs declined to say which signs were causing the problem, what was wrong with them or where they were located, fearing that disclosing the affected roads could encourage bad driving.

The news follows a request by the Department for Transport earlier this year for all local authorities to review their signs.

Last year, two North Yorkshire Police officers escaped speeding charges in neighbouring Cleveland because of a technicality.

Prosecutors dropped charges against them when the court was told speed camera warning signs infringed the Road Traffic Regulation Act.

It was found that the signs, put up during a pilot scheme to crack down on speeders, had a black border around the margin and an unapproved camera symbol, which made them unenforceable.

North Yorkshire has more than 6,000 miles of highway, and the review affects all of the major routes, including the A1M, A64 and A19.

None of the affected roads are within the York city boundary.

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Inspector Chris Charlton, of North Yorkshire Police, said: "We are working very closely with North Yorkshire County Council to carry out this review and check that the signage is correct and up-to- date.

"There are specific problems. It is happening across the county and is ongoing. This is a complete review of road signage.

"One of the issues us that road signs do change periodically and they have not always been reviewed in the past and we are putting systems and processes in place to make that happen."

Barrie Mason, North Yorkshire County Council's group engineer for traffic management and road safety, denied the review was linked to the Cleveland case.

He said: "The public can rest assured that if there are any changes that need to be made we will be seeking to do so as soon as possible."

A City of York Council spokeswoman said that a recent survey of signs within the city's boundaries had found no problems.

A Department for Transport spokeswoman confirmed that guidance has been sent to local authorities instructing them to check road signs are uniform and up to date.

Richard Bentley, a North Yorkshire-based road signs expert, said it was impossible to guess what may be wrong with the signs, as more than 2,500 variations can be used.

Paul Watters, head of road policy for the AA, said the majority of "non compliant" signs were the wrong size, but few drivers would be able to tell.

He said: "You feel sorry for the police when highway engineering departments do things like this because they embarrass the legal process."

"It would not be nice to think of someone losing their licence if a sign technically breaches the regulations."

Updated: 09:41 Tuesday, October 19, 2004