LANCASHIRE'S police, fire and ambulance drivers have been warned they will face prosecution if caught speeding without good reason.

It comes after a report revealed speed cameras are snapping ambulances up to 700 times a month as they travel to emergencies.

But, along with other emergency service drivers, ambulance staff have been told they will be fined if they are not responding to an emergency.

The situation is posing an administrative headache for Lancashire Ambulance NHS Trust.

The trust now has one person spending 15 hours a week determining if their vehicles were responding to genuine emergency calls when caught.

If the camera data can be tallied with ambulance records no further action is taken, but if a driver is caught speeding at any other time bosses said they face prosecution.

However, bosses insisted the safety benefits speed cameras brought outweighed the time spent trawling through hundreds of penalty notices.

A spokesman for Lancashire Ambulance NHS Trust said the numbers of its drivers caught speeding was less than one per cent of the hundreds of tickets it received.

"If we can't find a job the ticket relates to then it has to be the driver's responsibility," the spokesman said.

"We don't see this as much of a problem as anything that reduces our workload, human suffering and the burden on the NHS is given our support.

"Drivers who are caught speeding without good reason are treated in just the same way as anyone else, they are not above the law."

Bosses have appealed to Home Secretary David Blunkett to tackle the problem caused by Lancashire's 300-plus 'safety' cameras.

Although they accept the speed cameras have no way of identifying an ambulance from any other vehicle speeding through its catch-zone, Lancashire Ambulance NHS Trust is hopeful some deal can be reached to tackle the administration burden.

As each penalty notice arrives, ambulance staff have to respond to the police, explaining why the vehicle was speeding and getting the fine quashed.

But a report by director of accident and emergency operations, David Watt, to the Trust's executive, which meets on Friday, states in July 2002, the Trust received just one ticket compared to 689 in July 2003 and 408 the following December.