THAMES Valley Police have slammed a national newspaper after they reported that traffic police were set targets for handing out speeding tickets.

The report in the Daily Mail said that traffic police officers were being forced to meet quotas for handing out tickets for speeding, seatbelt violations and invalid tax discs.

But a spokesman said traffic officers have had no quotas set and have not been told to meet targets.

Thames Valley Police spokeswoman, Nicki Malin, said: "What the mail have done is confuse entirely separate issues. We are taking part in a pilot project called the Safer Roads Campaign.

"What the Mail did was confuse that with traffic officers. When they spoke to me on the Friday afternoon I said whatever you do do not confuse that with the safer roads campaign."

The safer roads campaign allows police forces to claim back money from the Treasury collected from traffic fines from speed cameras but it does not apply to traffic officers.

Mrs Malin said: "It is very frustrating. Traffic officers out there are trying to do a very good job."

The Daily Mail's Ray Massey, who covered the story, said: "We have not had anybody ranting and raving down the phone. Everything that is in the paper we stand by. They haven't had any issue with that."