A motorist who had a speeding case against him dropped said last night that he had gone to court to fight for all drivers.

A motorist who had a speeding case against him dropped said last night that he had gone to court to fight for all drivers.

Michael Ives challenged the accuracy of the tripod-mounted laser mobile camera which clocked him doing 37mph in a 30mph zone from 239m away after discovering that manufacturers of the camera said they were only accurate from up to 100m.

The Crown Prosecution Service said at Norwich Magistrates Court that pursuing the case was not in the public interest.

But Mr Ives, 68, said he had so far failed to discover, using the Freedom of Information Act and a court case, whether speed cameras were being used to trap people unfairly.

He said he would continue to dog the police with questions.

While delighted at getting off the £60 fine and three points on his licence, he said the money had not been the issue as the day off work had cost him more than £100 in lost earnings.

Mr Ives, a semi-retired plumbing and heating engineer, of Church Alley, Blofield, near Norwich, was clocked in Plumstead Road East, Norwich, on October 5 last year.

He is now awaiting a reply to a formal complaint he has made to Norfolk's chief constable, but said if he was not satisfied with the response he would go to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

"I just wanted answers to questions," he said. "I couldn't get them. I want to know whether or not the manufacturer's specifications on the camera are what the police abide by or whether they are allowed to exceed those specifications.

"This wasn't about the money. It was about the truth because 99pc of motorists will just accept the summons and pay the fine.

"I never thought it would go this far. I said to the prosecution if the police come up with an explanation to my question I will change my plea to guilty and save the court's time. But I came up against a brick wall.

"I am not anti-speed cameras but the police have to abide by the rules the same as I do."

Peter Tidey, chief Crown prosecutor and chairman of the Norfolk Criminal Justice Board, said dropping the case was a "pragmatic decision".

"Here was a man who was challenging everything, and we were going to have to get witnesses in from all over the country," he said.

"Mr Ives is fortunate. If it was a case that people thought that they could challenge things and would just get off, the public interest would soon demand a different reaction."