Nearly 15,000 caught speeding

Police recorded 14,682 offences in 2019-20, according to analysis of Home Office figures by the RAC Foundation – 23% upon the 11,937 logged over the previous year.

Nationally the number of speeding offences rose by eight per cent to 2.6 million.

In Cleveland, cameras caught 96% of recorded speeding offences – accounting for 9o% of all motoring offences in the area.

Offenders were sent on a speed awareness course on around 8,600 occasions, while around 4,000 offences resulted in a fine.

Offences were cancelled in around 700 cases and 1,300 resulted in court action.

RAC director Steve Gooding said it is unclear whether reduced traffic levels during lockdown earlier this year will lead to fewer speeding offences or if open roads will have tempted some drivers to go even faster.

Figures obtained earlier this year by the PA news agency showed Northumbria Police recorded a dramatic drop in the number of drivers caught speeding at the start of lockdown in April, compared to a year earlier.

Mr Gooding added: “All motoring laws are there to make our roads safer, hence tackling speeding is important, but it is only one aspect of driver behaviour that warrants attention if we are to break out of the plateauing of road fatalities in recent years.”

A Home Office spokeswoman said: “How the police deal with speeding offences is an operational matter and will be enforced at the discretion of the individual police force.”