The methods employed to catch people speeding on the M6 remain a mystery despite thousands of motorists being issued tickets by a fleet of 'secret' cameras.
Following an in-depth investigation, Birmingham Live found that police and roads authorities could not provide information on the ways these motorway speed cameras, which monitor drivers in temporary speed limit zones, are having such success - more than 3,500 have been clocked breaking the temporary 40mph speed limit on one stretch of motorway this year alone.
It is likely that drivers are being caught en masse during specific periods when the cameras are switched on and the normal speed on the motorway has been slashed.
Birmingham Live attempted to find out exactly when the variable speed cameras had been in operation this year, to see when motorists were being caught and what times of day they are switched on. They asked West Midlands Police, who enforce speeding fines, for the information but they said it was likely held by National Highways, the authority responsible for UK motorways.
The outlet then asked National Highways - who said they believed the information was held by the police, confusing matters further.
Motorists are frequently witnessed ignoring the temporary limits. And the data suggests the cameras are being used to punish those who choose to ignore the slowest speed limit normally seen on the motorway - 40mph - as the numbers fined for breaching other speeds are much lower.
A total of 847 drivers were caught breaking the 50mph limit between junctions 7 and 8 in 2022, up to June, and another 453 for breaching 60mph. Another stretch of the M6 where drivers are caught in huge numbers is between the M54 exit near Wolverhampton and Junction 10 for Walsall, heading southbound.
More than 1,700 have been clocked there this year. According to motoring organisation the RAC, variable speed cameras "work in a similar way to average speed cameras, but they’re unlikely to be in operation 24/7".
It adds: "They tend to be used on smart motorways when the speed limit is lowered to ease congestion or in the event of poor weather or some other hazard."
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