Increase in number of speeding drivers

The total number of offences in 2011 rose six per cent compared with 2010, according to figures from insurance company LV=.

Offending speeders drove at an average 56mph in 2011 compared with 54mph in 2010, the statistics from a freedom of information request to police forces showed.

The 152mph speedster was caught by Sussex Police, while an offender was stopped by Tayside Police doing 149mph.

According to data from 36 of the police forces in Britain who responded, there were 955,459 incidents of speeding in 2011 – up from 899,934 in 2010.

A separate survey of 1,531 drivers by LV= showed that since 2009, nine per cent had been caught speeding and 17 per cent of these had been caught two or three times.

The survey also showed that 71 per cent could not name the speed limit on a rural road, single carriageway, dual carriageway, motorway or a road in a built-up area.