The top 30 speed camera sites in the West Midlands can today be revealed - and they've hit motorists in the pocket to the tune of £3.3 million in the last 12 months.

All-new Active Traffic Management variable speed limit zone on the M6 has seen 7,199 drivers caught speeding by a series of cameras - with a minimum £100 fine this means they've had to pay out at least £710,000.

The worst stretch for people going too fast is the section between junction 4 and 5 in Castle Bromwich which saw 3,096 offences.

In March 2013, West Midlands Police switched off all its fixed camera sites to save money which means the only locations with static enforcement are those run by the Highways Agency.

The force has been making use of mobile camera vans which it says are much more flexible and can respond better to emerging issues.

Heartlands Parkway, between Star City and Bromford Lane, which has frequently seen police crackdowns on 'cruising' when high performance car owners meet and sometimes drive illegally, had 1,385 offences.

The figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show the top 30 camera sites in 2012 - before the police fixed sites were switched off - dished out 48,091 fines. In 2014, the top 30 clocked 32,748 speeders.

Second top site last year was the A4040 Sandwell Road between Oxhill Road and Island Road in Handsworth which netted 2,713 speeders.

In third place in the West Midlands came the A45 Stonebridge Highway in Coventry which clocked 2,455, and fourth is the Active Traffic Management on the southbound M42 from junction 7 to 6 at the NEC and airport which caught 2,384 speeders.

In the last three years, the biggest single camera site was in 2013 when the active traffic management was being installed between junctions 8 to 5 southbound on the M6 - during this extended period of roadworks 9,958 drivers were caught over the limit, netting at least £1 million in fines.

Road safety groups welcomed the penalties, saying that speed was a key factor in many accidents.

Rod King from campaigners '20 is plenty for us' said: "Whilst speed is only a cause of some collisions, it is almost always the reason why a collision was not able to be avoided or the consequences in terms of casualties reduced.

"Speed blights many of our community streets causing fear and intimidation for others.

"Speed cameras have an important role to play in ensuring that we all comply with limit for which we are licensed to drive. Those exceeding those limits have no-one to blame except themselves."

Ed Morrow, campaigns officer for road safety charity Brake, added: "Whatever other factors are involved, excessive speed is an aggravating factor in the overwhelming majority of crashes, reducing the time drivers have to react in an emergency.

"That's why speed limits exist, and it's vital they are enforced. Speed cameras are well proven to cut speeds and cut casualties. At the end of the day, if you're not breaking the law, you won't get caught."

The Alliance of British Drivers has claimed speed cameras do little to stop accidents.

In a report, Roger Lawson said: "There is no certainty concerning the impact of speed cameras, other than we know how many people are fined as a result.

"There is clear evidence there are better ways of spending money available for road safety measures than on speed cameras.

"The bottom line is that wasting money on the least cost effective methods inevitably leads to more deaths and injuries than would otherwise occur. It is in the Government's interests to encourage the issuing of fines, they are effectively a cash cow."

*** The Top 30 speed camera sites by speeders caught in 2014

1: M6 northbound Active Traffic Management) between junctions 4 and 5 – 3,096 offences

2: A4040 Sandwell Road between Oxhill Road and Island Road, Handsworth – 2,713

3: A45 Stonebridge Highway Coventry eastbound – 2,455

4: M42 southbound - Active Traffic Management between junctions 7 and 6 – 2,384

5: A456 Manor Way (Halesowen Bypass) Halesowen, Between Grange Road Island and Sandvik Engineering – 1,726

6: M6 Motorway junction 5 to junction 8 (northbound Active Traffic Management) – 1,549

7: M6 southbound - Active Traffic Management between junctions 10 and 8 – 1,493

8: Heartlands Parkway bet. Star City & Bromford Lane – 1,385

9: M6 southbound - Active Traffic Management junction 10 junction 9 – 1,061

10: A45 Stonebridge Highway Coventry westbound – 1,018

11: A4040 Stockfield Road southbound Btwn Yardley Road & Warwick Road – 887

12: A4040 Sandwell Road between Island Road and Oxhill Road, Handsworth – 816

13: A4540 Watery Lane Middleway northbound between Bordesley Circus & Gt Barr Street – 815

14: A34 Birmingham Rd opposite Pages Lane – 794

15: B4114 Washwood Heath Road westbound between Bromford Lane and Highfield Road – 789

16: A453 College Rd near Witton Lodge Rd northbound – 785

17: A34 Stratford Rd between Wycombe Rd and Robin Hood Island – 762

18: Newton Road,at Pear Tree Drive towards West Bromwich – 758

19: A4040 Stockfield Road northbound between Warwick Road & Yardley Road – 725

20: A41 Black Country New Road approaching George Henry Road Great Bridge – 700

21: B4161 Henwood Road between A454 Compton Road and A41 Tettenhall Road (The Rock) – 679

22: A34 Stratford Rd between Robin Hood Island and Littleover Avenue – 665

23: A41 Black Country New Road at Pacific Ave towards Wolverhampton – 652

24: A4040 Lordswood road, Harborne between Hagley Rd West and Court Oak Road Island – 619

25: A41 Black Country New Road approaching Swan Roundabout towards Birmingham – 618

26: A4040 Bromford Land southbound between Fairholme Road and Washwood Heath Road – 614

27: A4040 Lordswood road, between Court Oak Road Island and Hagley Rd West, Harborne – 584

28: London Road southbound. near Railway Bridge – 581

29: A34 Stratford Road northbound between Collister Close and Solihull Lane – 554

30: A4040 Harborne Park Road between Old Church Road and St Mary's Road – 471