04/04/2014 BBC Oxford News

Good evening. The number of people killed or seriously injured in road

accidents has fallen by just over a third since speed cameras wdre

introduced in Oxfordshire. The figure are from Thames Valldy

Police. Road safety campaigners say it's evidence the cameras s`ve

lives, but critics have questioned whether other factors may h`ve

played a part. Stuart Tinworth's been investigating.

Well, supporters say finallx this is conclusive prove that speed cameras

really do make our roads safer. The first cameras were installed in

Oxfordshire in 1993. Since then an average of 23 people have bden

killed or seriously injured each year on the roads compared to an

average of 35 before they wdre put in. The biggest difference has been

recorded on the A338 in East Hanney ` four people were seriouslx killed

or injured between 1990 and 199 . But with the arrival of a speed

camera there were no recorddd injuries in the next 18 years. This

is one of the first studies that have been done into Oxfordshire

speed cameras in the last fdw years. It's great that it is posithve. It

shows speed cameras have a big impact on casualties on the road. Of

course, a lot has changed in 20 years. Cars have become safdr and

some critics have questioned whether the numbers are really simply down

to cameras. Only 6% of all `ccidents has speed as a factor and not a

cause. The most cameras do hs reduce the effect of and accident. In

Swindon the council turned off its cameras in 2009 and says thd overall

number of accidents has dropped since then, but people we spoke to

largely supported them. People are wary of them. Police don't dnforce

the speed limit. They are ddfinitely affectiives, definitely in trban

areas. Oxfordshire alone has 68 fixed cameras across the cotnty but

the debate as to whether thdy really do make a difference isn't over yet.

A former soldier from Swindon has told the BBC his family is being

torn apart by new rules on immigration. Trev Rungasarmx served

ten years in the army, incltding tours of Afghanistan and Ir`q. But

his wife is being denied entry to the UK because he doesn't e`rn

enough. Trev Rungasamy has served his country. He was born in South

Africa and was in the British Army for ten years, serving in

Afghanistan and Iraq. He has lived in Swindon and is now a UK citizen

but cannot ring his wife and children to the UK because he does

not earn enough. The first tour was a war fighting tour in Afgh`nistan.

The second one was in Iraqi. I nearly lost my life. I was shocked

by a sniper. My wife stood by me. Trev Rungasamy has moved to London

in search of a job paying over ?18,600. That is the level of the

government threshold introdtced three years ago. I live for my

children and my wife. It is just a sad situation I am in right now It

is breaking me emotionally `nd I feel so let down by the system. The

Home Office did not want to be interviewed, partly because they are

subject to a legal challengd. But in a statement they said:

it is Conservative Party policy to reduce net migration to the UK to be

tens of thousands, but the latest figures show that immigration is

rising. If the High Court does decide the new income rules are too

strict, it will make meeting that commitment even harder.

Concerns are being raised about the number of vacant posts at South

Central Ambulance Service, which covers Oxfordshire and

Buckinghamshire. The Unite tnion's worried that 265 vacancies need to

be filled while demand for their service is increasing. The @mbulance

Service says there's a national shortage of paramedics and ht's

looking to recruit both expdrienced and newly qualified staff.

A public inquiry will be held into plans to build one of the bhggest

solar farms in the country near Swindon. The borough council's

approved the project, which involves installing more than 150,000 solar

panels on the former RAF Wroughton airfield. There's been opposition to

the plan from evironmental groups and the government has decided a

public inquiry is necessary. There'll be fewer dragonflids in

Oxfordshire this summer bec`use of the wet winter. And one

environmental group says thdre could be more mosquitoes because the

dragon flies won't be around to feed on them. Sinead Carroll's bden to

the Oxford Canal in Kidlington to investigate.

A dragonfly's life is brief. It mates, lays eggs and dies all within

a few months. But dragonfly lavae can live for three years. Now the

lava is not just underwater, it s under threat. Bankside visitation

like this is where the lavad comes to hatch, but much of it has been

damaged during the recent floods. However, we have found some. This

lava was inside the pond. Once the lava are ready to hatch the

dragonflies cling to reeds like this. But many dragonfly won't hatch

this Summer ` the lavae has already been washed away by fast currents.

Dragonflies and damselflies indicate good water quality. A dragonfly can

eat it their body weight in mosquitoes and midges in just 3

minutes. They help to maint`in the environment. So fewer dragonflies

could mean more of their prdy, like mosquitoes, survive. The Canal and

River Trust want us to monitor the weather's impact on wildlifd. You

don't have to pond dip, just recording the species found nearby

rivers, canals and ponds ponds. That is it from now. The regional weather

forecast is coming up now. @ lot of Crown during the course of the

weekend. Saturday will be bd drier of the two days. On Sunday there

will be heavy rain. Temperatures tonight going down to six or seven

Celsius. In the second half of the night there will be a lot of cloud

and he'll fork. That is how things will be set up through Saturday

Lots of low cloud around. Occasionally, some patches of light

or showery rain across the region. But many of you will have a largely

dry day. Temperatures tomorrow about 13 degrees. Similar temperatures for

Sunday,