THE brakes look set to stay firmly on council plans to cut the speed limit on York's outer ring road and enforce it with speed cameras.

North Yorkshire Police will not back City of York Council's bid to get the 60mph limit dropped to 50mph on the northern section of the A1237.

The authority covers the section of road from the A19 roundabout west to Askham Bar and the Highways Agency, which supports the drop to 50mph but only if it has police backing, is responsible for the stretch which runs east from the A19 roundabout to Grimston Bar.

The problem centres on enforcing the new limit with speed cameras.

The law requires a police officer to examine images from the cameras and so would require the force to commit stretched resources.

The force also has a long-standing policy against fixed speed cameras.

Peter Evely, head of highways regulation at the council, told a meeting between officers and executive members for planning, transport and the environment: "We are trying to suggest we move this impasse by direct discussion with the area commander.

"Without self-enforcing measures, it looks very difficult to find a way forward."

Executive member Coun Dave Merrett said digital cameras, which made national headlines when they came into service recently on Nottingham's roads, could help the situation.

Their images can be beamed to a central point electronically rather than needing an officer to physically remove a film from a traditional camera and process it before it can be examined.

Coun Merrett suggested the council wait for the results of the Nottingham pilot scheme.

Another stumbling block to speed cameras is European human rights laws which say the owner of a car does not have to tell the police who was driving it at the time it was caught on camera as it may make a person incriminate themselves.