Police cameras catch driver going at 105mph in Halifax

West Yorkshire Police-operated cameras flashed for 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 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.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.

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 said: “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.”