Motorists risk £2,500 fine and 'court visits' with 'specialist' cameras catching drivers breaking road rules

The road safety initiative specifically looked out for drivers speeding along different parts of the region, with several breaches found in 30mph limited areas.

In total, 107 drivers were caught speeding, with 47 drivers caught speeding in South Newton last Thursday in just an hour. The highest speed recorded was 52mph on what the police described to be "a blind bend".

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A further 27 drivers were caught speeding in Wilton on The Avenue in 30 minutes, with the highest speed recorded being 51mph in a 30mph area.

Another 33 drivers were caught speeding in Harnham on Coombe Road within 45 minutes, with the highest speed recorded being 58mph.

Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson said: "Speeding is dangerous, it can kill and leave others seriously injured, and Wiltshire’s communities are rightly concerned about the risks this poses to them and their loved ones.

"Proactive policing targeting those drivers who take unnecessary risks on our roads, such as Project Zero, has my full support, and these results from recent enforcement sessions in the south highlight just how needed this enforcement is, and road safety continues to be a priority in my police and crime plan."

Rule 124 of the Highway Code states that drivers "MUST NOT exceed the maximum speed limits for the road," with rulebreakers facing fines.

Under UK law, drivers can be fined a minimum penalty of £100 as well as slapped with three penalty points if caught speeding. But in more serious cases, this penalty can increase to £1,000 or £2,500 if caught speeding on a motorway.

Wilkinson explained that there will be people who say that initiatives like this "unfairly target motorists and that the police should focus on 'real crime'".

Despite this, he argued: "My challenge to them would be the hundreds of individuals killed or seriously injured on our roads each year and the devastation that causes - speed will have been a factor in many of these collisions and not always from those most seriously injured."

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The commissioner overhauled the Community Speedwatch scheme in 2022, with it now being expanded to include over 86 teams operating at 536 sites across Wiltshire and Swindon, with the hope that the extra help would crack down on dangerous driving.

To help ensure drivers stick to speed limits, Speed Indicator Devices were installed across the county to pinpoint speeding hotspots, which would then be monitored by police.

The operations also form part of Project Zero, which aims to reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries on Wiltshire's roads.

It comprises weekly enforcement operations led by the Roads Policing Unit, which mobilise to tackle speeding, drink or drug driving, using a mobile phone when driving, not wearing a seatbelt and careless or dangerous driving.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Lemon said: "Our dedicated Community Speed Enforcement officers, working in collaboration with our Roads Policing Unit, target areas where we know there are speeding issues.

"These officers have specialist video equipment which then allows us to prosecute offenders, resulting in speed awareness courses, fines, and, for persistent or high-harm offenders, visits to court."

He warned that even one speeder is too many on Wiltshire roads, with this "too often" resulting in fatalities as "speed kills".

"Not only that, but it causes a significant amount of concern and frustration for pedestrians and other road users when people speed recklessly on the road," he added.