A road safety group has been forced to remove an advert from its website for a gadget that helps motorists avoid being caught by speed cameras.

The West Yorkshire Casualty Reduction Partnership, which is responsible for installing speed cameras, has been told to scrap the advert for the Cyclops device by the Department for Transport.

DoT officials ruled that although the units are not illegal, the partnership should not be promoting any manufacturers' goods on its website.

The Cyclops device warns drivers of their speed as they approach Gatso speed cameras.

The advert boasted that the £369 devices could detect cameras half a mile away and plugged the fact that they were available on interest-free credit.

But West Yorkshire Casualty Reduction Partnership spokesman Philip Gwynne said the partnership thought the advert was a positive innovation because it promoted a product that encouraged people to slow down.

"This particular device is one which sits on a car dashboard," he said. "It uses satellite navigation or acts on the frequency or electrical impulses of the cameras to alert motorists.

"The purpose of the Cyclops is to advise motorists when they are approaching safety cameras, thereby encouraging motorists to slow down and manage their speed."

Mr Gwynne said the advert had been on the partnership's website for several weeks before it was ordered to be removed.

He said: "We put the information on the website about the device as we would with any other item that encourages drivers to reduce their speeds.

"We were simply letting motorists know that there are techniques out there to reduce speeds and we felt it was the same as putting tips about how to avoid a speeding ticket on the site.

"We simply don't want motorists to be caught speeding."

A Department of Transport spokesman said: "The units are not illegal but it was thought that the website should not be used to promote any manufacturers' goods.

"We don't want to catch people speeding and we don't want their money but cameras need to be inconspicuous.

"We want to save people's lives and improve road safety."

West Yorkshire Casualty Reduction Partnership is supported by Bradford Council, West Yorkshire Police, the Highways Agency, West Yorkshire Health Authority and the Magistrates Court Service.