Croydon has been awarded the dubious honour of having the most speed cameras of any London borough.

According to new figures from the London Safety Camera Partnership there are now 470 cameras in London.

Croydon has the highest number with 32, followed closel by Enfield which has 29.

Kensington and Chelsea has none.

The unwanted accolade comes after it emerged the number of London speed cameras has risen by more than 100 over the last year and a similar number of cameras is likely to be installed throughout the city over the next 12 months.

Croydon Council's Road Users Forum (RUF) defended the number of speed cameras in the borough, insisting they are essential in ensuring the safety of the borough's road users and pedestrians.

Roy Clark, RUF's road safety manager, blamed the figures on Croydon's size. The borough is London's biggest in terms of population.

Mr Clark said: "As far as population goes, Croydon is one of the biggest London boroughs so that is the key reason why we have the most speed cameras.

"We decided it is a good idea to have the speed cameras in the borough as they obviously act as a deterrent for people who decide to speed."

Drivers might not be happy to see Croydon top the speed camera league but Mr Clark justified the need for 32 speed cameras, maintaining they are essential to help save lives.

He added: "I don't see why drivers get so uptight about speed cameras because the speed limits are there for a reason.

"Speed is related to the number of road accidents that occur, so if you reduce your speed it is more likely we will reduce the risk to all road users and pedestrians.

"Speed restrictions have to be implemented so it would either be speed cameras or road humps and I think cameras are the lesser of two evils."

The RAC Foundation has said it is concerned about the rise in speed cameras in London. Executive director Edmund King said: "We should be getting more police patrols instead of just putting up cameras, which can't spot dangerous drivers or drug and drink-drivers."