SPEEDING motorists using side roads as "rat runs" to avoid controversial average speed cameras on the A9 will be caught, a senior Highland police chief has claimed.
Chief Superintendent Julian Innes, Police Scotland's Highland and Islands Divisional Commander, said any driver trying to gain time by using country roads would be very obvious and would be dealt with.
Mr Innes also said he thought they were "off their heads" if they thought they could do so, as he said the A9 was the fastest and most direct route, even when speed was limited to 60mph.
He was speaking after local MP Danny Alexander claimed some residents in his Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey constituency were concerned by high speed driving on the B9152 between Kingussie and Aviemore and the A938 between Carrbridge and the Slochd Summit.
He has written to transport minister Keith Brown saying: "These vehicles are reported to be driving at high speeds and on routes that are used for access to communities in the Strath (Strathspey), causing real risks and dangers in those places. These are local roads, used to serve local communities, that risk being turned into high speed 'rat runs' thanks to the speed cameras."
Mike Burns of campaign group A9 Average Speed Cameras are Not the Answer, which has attracted more than 9000 "likes" on Facebook, said he was not surprised: "For the past 18 months the campaign has been warning that this was a real possibility, and it's interesting to see that people are doing this before we have published alternative routes."
Mr Innes said "We have had no information that is developing as a pattern of driver behaviour. But if it is, it will stick out quite quickly in the Highlands and we will be on to it. However, I have to say those who think they make up ground quicker on Highland side roads have to be off their heads."
He added that he suspected many of those protesting against the average speed cameras had been speeding previously.
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