WHEN the late Labour firebrand Barbara Castle brought in the breathalyser nearly 40 years ago, she was roundly condemned.

Back in 1967, there were many who believed they could still drive regardless of how much alcohol had been consumed.

The passage of the four decades has changed public attitudes out of all recognition.

People now accept that drinking and driving is a fatal combination. Apart from a criminally anti-social minority, most drivers now obey a law they know makes sense.

This newspaper believes that, given time, the public will come to regard speed cameras in much the same light.

We therefore welcome the news that the number of casualties has plummeted on roads where static cameras have been installed.

Indeed, we are further heartened by the fact that more drivers seem to be easing off the accelerator. Lessons - sometimes hard - are obviously being learnt.

But we are disturbed to learn that the Treasury is raking in £20m a year from the cameras.

Officials have always insisted the system is self-financing. Now it appears that the Chancellor has been getting a slice of the fiscal cake, too.

This vital safety measure must not play into the hands of its critics and be regarded as a cash-raiser rather than a life-safer.

How about donating the surplus to charity, Gordon Brown?