120,000 speeding motorists caught speeding on camera in West Yorkshire in one year - as offences surge

West Yorkshire Police-operated cameras flashed a total of 120,000 motorists breaking the speed limit on the region’s roads in 2016, and dangerous speeds surpassed 120mph.

Road safety campaigners have called the figure - a rise of more than 30 per cent when compared with 2015 - “deeply concerning”, and called for tougher penalties and stricter enforcement of the speed limit.

Figures obtained by The Yorkshire Post reveal more than 36,000 offences were picked up by West Yorkshire Police’s speed cameras from January to April in 2017.

From 2015 to April 2017, cars were clocked by cameras travelling as fast in 126mph in the region, and several exceeded 111mph in Leeds and Bradford.

Josh Harris, director of Campaigns at road safety charity Brake, said: “The increase in speeding offences in West Yorkshire and the recklessly high speeds clocked by its cameras are deeply concerning.

“In all road crashes and casualties, speed is a critical factor, dictating the stopping distance and impact of a vehicle.

“In 2016 there were 1,792 deaths on UK roads; an unacceptable and needless loss of life. “This is why Brake is calling for tougher penalties and stricter enforcement, giving drivers an expectation that if they speed they will be caught and punished.”

It comes after data published in November showed that only about half of fixed speed cameras in the UK are actually switched on and catching offenders.

Figures from 36 of the nation’s 45 police forces reveal that four, including North Yorkshire, have no fixed speed cameras at all.

Meanwhile, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire were among 13 forces to have fewer than half of their speed cameras actively catching speeding drivers, according to Freedom of Information requests.

The latest figures, which exclude motorway cameras, show that in Leeds, cars were clocked travelling at dangerous speeds of 121, 114, 111 and 110mph in 2015.

This was followed by 113mph in 2016, and up to April 201, cameras flashed cars racing at 112 and 111mph.

Elsewhere, a car in Bradford was clocked at a shocking 126mph in 2015.

Other dangerous speeds recorded during the two-year period included 110mph in Shipley, 110mph in Wakefield, 105mph in Halifax and 109mph in Ossett, Wakefield.

Paul Jeffrey, manager of the Casualty Reduction Partnership and Central Process Bureau at West Yorkshire Police, warned that driving at excessive speed is reckless and dangerous.

He told The Yorkshire Post: “The excess use of speed across the roads of the county are always a concern for police and our communities.

“Speed is one of the ‘fatal four’ driving offences - one of the main factors in fatal road collisions.”